exanimate

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɛɡˈzænɪmət/ UK /ɛɡˈzænɪmət/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
lifeless or spiritless; deprived of animation

He lay exanimate on the cold flagstones until help arrived.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lifeless or spiritless;... lifeless spiritless inanimatedispiriteddead dejected listless

Opposites

animate lively spirited vivacious

Word family

Related forms animate animation reanimate

Etymology

From Latin exanimatus, past participle of exanimare ('to deprive of breath or life'), from ex- ('out of') + anima ('breath, life, soul').

exanimatus Latin anima Latin *h₂enh₁- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# exanimate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɛɡˈzænɪmət/
**IPA (UK):** /ɛɡˈzænɪmət/

## Meanings
1. lifeless or spiritless; deprived of animation

## Examples
- He lay exanimate on the cold flagstones until help arrived.

## Synonyms
- lifeless
- spiritless
- inanimate
- dispirited
- dead
- dejected
- listless

## Antonyms
- animate
- lively
- spirited
- vivacious

## Related Forms
- animate
- animation
- reanimate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exanimatus
- Root: anima
- Root: *h₂enh₁-

## Etymology
From Latin exanimatus, past participle of exanimare ('to deprive of breath or life'), from ex- ('out of') + anima ('breath, life, soul').

## AI Etymology
Exanimate comes from Latin exanimatus, past participle of exanimare ('to deprive of breath or life'), from ex- ('out of') + anima ('breath, life, soul'). Morphologically, the form is compositional: ex- marks part of the visible structure, while the remaining element supplies the lexical base. In present use, it is used as an adjective meaning "lifeless or spiritless; deprived of animation", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as animate, animation, and reanimate, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin exanimatus, Latin anima, and Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by lifeless, spiritless, inanimate, and dispirited on one side and contrasts such as animate, lively, and spirited on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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