animal

See also: Animal and animâl

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) enPR: ăn'ĭməl, IPA(key): /ˈænɪməl/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English animal, from Old French animal, from Latin animal, a nominal use of an adjective from animale, neuter of animalis, from anima (“breath, spirit”). Displaced native Middle English deor, der (“animal”) (from Old English dēor (“animal”)), Middle English reother (“animal, neat”) (from Old English hrīþer, hrȳþer (“neat, ox”)).

Noun

animal (plural animals)

  1. In scientific usage, a multicellular organism that is usually mobile, whose cells are not encased in a rigid cell wall (distinguishing it from plants and fungi) and which derives energy solely from the consumption of other organisms (distinguishing it from plants).
    A cat is an animal, not a plant. Humans are also animals, under the scientific definition, as we are not plants.
    • 1646, Thomas Browne, “Of the Cameleon”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Or, Enquiries into Very Many Received Tenents, and Commonly Presumed Truths, London: Printed for Tho. Harper for Edvvard Dod, OCLC 838860010; Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Or, Enquiries into Very Many Received Tenents, and Commonly Presumed Truths. [...] Together with Some Marginall Observations, and a Table Alphabeticall at the End, book 3, 2nd corrected and much enlarged edition, London: Printed by A. Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath. Ekins, at the Gunne in Ivie Lane, 1650, OCLC 152706203, page 133:
      It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if not the moſt of any) a very abſtemious animall, and ſuch as by reaſon of its frigidity, paucity of bloud, and latitancy in the winter (about which time the obſervations are often made) will long ſubſist without a viſible ſuſtentation.
  2. In non-scientific usage, any member of the kingdom Animalia other than a human.
  3. In non-scientific usage, any land-living vertebrate (i.e. not fishes, insects, etc.).
    • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
  4. (figuratively) A person who behaves wildly; a bestial, brutal, brutish, cruel, or inhuman person.
    My students are animals.
  5. (informal) A person of a particular type.
    He's a political animal.
  6. Matter, thing.
    a whole different animal
Synonyms
Hyponyms
  • See also Thesaurus:animal
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Etymology 2

From Latin animalis, from either anima (“breath, spirit”) or animus. Originally distinct from the noun, it became associated with attributive use of the noun and is now indistinguishable from it.

Adjective

animal (not comparable)

  1. Of or relating to animals.
    animal instincts
  2. Raw, base, unhindered by social codes.
    animal passions
  3. Pertaining to the spirit or soul; relating to sensation or innervation.
    • 2003, Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason (Penguin 2004), page 47:
      To explain what activated the flesh, ‘animal spirits’ were posited, superfine fluids which shuttled between the mind and the vitals, conveying messages and motion.
  4. (slang, Ireland) Excellent.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

See also

  • Wiktionary appendix of terms relating to animals

References

  • animal at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Adjective

animal (epicene, plural animales)

  1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animales)

  1. animal

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Pronunciation

  • (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /ə.niˈmal/
  • (Valencian) IPA(key): /a.niˈmal/
  • Rhymes: -al

Noun

animal m (plural animals)

  1. animal

Adjective

animal (masculine and feminine plural animals)

  1. animal

Cebuano

Etymology 1

From English animal, from Middle English animal, from Old French animal, from Latin animal, a nominal use of an adjective from animale, neuter of animalis, from anima (“breath, spirit”).

Noun

animal

  1. animal
  2. (pejorative) a contemptible person

Adjective

animal

  1. contemptible, deserving contempt
  2. ruthless; without pity or compassion; cruel, pitiless

Etymology 2

From Spanish animal, borrowed from Latin animal.

Interjection

animal

  1. (vulgar) used as an expression of disgust, anger, etc.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal. Compare the archaic inherited doublet aumaille and its variant armaille, both from the Latin neuter plural animālia.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a.ni.mal/
  • (un animal)(file)
  • Audio(file)
  • Homophones: animale, animales

Noun

animal m (plural animaux)

  1. animal

Synonyms

Derived terms

Adjective

animal (feminine singular animale, masculine plural animaux, feminine plural animales)

  1. animal

Synonyms

Antonyms

Further reading

Anagrams

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Adjective

animal m, f (plural animais)

  1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animais)

  1. animal

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French animal, from Latin animal.

Noun

animal

  1. animal

Synonyms

Interlingua

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a.niˈmal/

Noun

animal (plural animales)

  1. animal

Latin

Etymology

From animāle, nominative neuter singular of animālis.

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈa.ni.mal/, [ˈa.nɪ.maɫ]

Noun

animal n (genitive animālis); third declension

  1. animal
  2. living creature

Inflection

Third declension neuter “pure” i-stem.

Case Singular Plural
nominative animal animālia
genitive animālis animālium
dative animālī animālibus
accusative animal animālia
ablative animālī animālibus
vocative animal animālia

Synonyms

Descendants

References

  • animal in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • animal in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • animal in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • animal in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • animate and inanimate nature: animata (animalia) inanimaque (not inanimata)
    • domestic animals: animalia quae nobiscum degunt (Plin. 8. 40)

Middle French

Noun

animal m (plural animaux or animaulx)

  1. animal

Synonyms

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese animal and Spanish animal.

Noun

animal

  1. beast
  2. animal

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal. See also alimária, an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌɐ.ni.ˈmaw/, /ˌa.ni.ˈmaw/
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ɐ.ni.ˈmaɫ/
  • Hyphenation: a‧ni‧mal

Noun

animal m (plural animais)

  1. (biology) animal (any member of the kingdom Animalia)
  2. (non-scientific usage) animal (an animal other than a human, especially a vertebrate)
  3. (colloquial) twat; idiot; moron
  4. (colloquial) beast (a cruel person)

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:animal.

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • animalzinho (diminutive), animalzão (augmentative)

Adjective

animal m, f (plural animais, comparable)

  1. (biology) animal (relating to animals)
  2. (Brazil, slang) cool; awesome

Inflection

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:animal.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French animal, from Latin animal. Doublet of nămaie.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a.niˈmal/

Adjective

animal m, n (feminine singular animală, masculine plural animali, feminine and neuter plural animale)

  1. animal, animalistic
  2. brutal

Declension

Adverb

animal

  1. brutally

Noun

animal n (plural animale)

  1. animal

Declension

Romansch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Noun

animal m (plural animals)

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader) animal

Synonyms

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal. See also alimaña, an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -al

Noun

animal m (plural animales)

  1. animal

Derived terms

(diminutive animalillo or animalito)

Adjective

animal (plural animales)

  1. animal

Anagrams

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English animal.

Noun

animal

  1. animal (members of Kingdom Animalia that are not humans)
    • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:25 (translation here):
      God i kamapim ol kain kain animal bilong ples na ol bikpela na liklik animal bilong bus. God i lukim olgeta dispela samting i gutpela, na em i amamas.
    Synonym: abus
This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.
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