animal

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A living creature that can move and feel, such as a dog, bird, or fish, but not a plant.

   Lions, elephants, and other wild animals live on the plains of Africa.

2. 2
   noun

   A person who behaves in a cruel, violent, or uncontrolled way.

   The way he ate his food made him look like an animal.

3. 3
   adj

   Relating to animals, or to the physical and instinctive side of human nature.

   When danger appears, our animal instincts take over.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Animal came into English through Latin animalis, meaning “having the breath of life,” from anima, “air, breath, life.” It first appeared in late Middle English as an adjective and then as a noun for any living being, as opposed to something inanimate.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos Proto-Italic *anamos Latin animus Latin anima Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin animālis Latin animalder. Old French animalbor. Middle English animal English animal From Middle English animal, from Old French animal, from Latin animal, a nominal use of the adjective form animāle, neuter of animālis, from anima (“breath, spirit”). Displaced native Middle English deor, der (“animal”) (whence modern English deer; from Old English dēor (“animal”)), Middle English…

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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