animal

English

Wikipedia

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• enPR: ăn'əməl, IPA: /ˈænəməl/, X-SAMPA: /"{n@m@l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Picture dictionary

organism

mammal

fish

amphibian

reptile

bird

insect

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.

2. In non-scientific usage, any member of the kingdom Animalia other than a human being.
3. In non-scientific usage, any land-living vertebrate (i.e. not birds, fishes, insects etc)
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.

   a political animal

Synonyms

• (organism): beast, creature
• (non-human organism): beast
• (person who behaves wildly): brute, monster, savage

Hyponyms

• See also Wikisaurus:animal

Related terms

• anima
• animus
• animate
• Animalia

Translations

organism

• Abkhaz: please add this translation if you can
• Acholi: lee
• Afrikaans: dier (af)
• Aleut: algax
• Amuzgo: kió'
• Arabic: حيوان (ar) (Hayawaan) m
• Aragonese: animal (an) m
• Armenian: կենդանի (hy) (kendani)
• Aromanian: pravdã (rup) f
• Asturian: animal (ast) m
• Azeri: heyvan (az)
• Bambara: bagan (bm)
• Bashkir: хайуан (xaywan)
• Basque: animalia (eu)
• Bavarian: Viech
• Belarusian: жывёла (be) (žyvjóla) f, звер (be) (zver) m
• Bengali: জানোয়ার (bn) (janoẇar)
• Borôro: barögö
• Breton: loen (br) m, aneval (br) m
• Bulgarian: животно (bg) (živótno) n
• Burmese: တိရစ္ဆာန် (my) (tăreikhsan)
• Catalan: animal (ca) m
• Chechen: please add this translation if you can
• Cherokee: ᎦᎾᏝᎢ (chr) (ganatlai)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 動物 (cmn), 动物 (cmn) (dòngwù)

  Min Nan: 動物 (nan), 动物 (nan) (tōng-bu̍t)

• Chukchi: gennik, gernik
• Chuvash: чĕрчун (çĕrçun)
• Czech: živočich (cs) m, zvíře (cs) n
• Danish: dyr (da)
• Dutch: dier (nl) n, beest (nl) n
• Esperanto: (includes humans) animalo (eo)
• Estonian: loom (et)
• Faroese: djór (fo) n, dýr (fo) n
• Finnish: eläin (fi)
• French: animal (fr) m, bête (fr) f
• Georgian: ცხოველი (ka) (c'xoveli)
• German: Tier (de) n
• Gothic: 𐌳𐌹𐌿𐍃 (dius) n
• Greek:

  Ancient: ζῷον (zōion) n

  Modern: ζώο (el) (zóo) n

• Greenlandic: uumasoq (kl)
• Haitian Creole: animal, zannimo
• Hawaiian: holoholona
• Hebrew: בעל חיים (he) (ba`al khayim) m
• Hindi: पशु (hi) (paśu), जानवर (hi) (jānvar) m
• Hungarian: állat (hu)
• Icelandic: dýr (is) n
• Ido: animalo (io)
• Indonesian: hewan (id), binatang (id)
• Interlingua: animal (ia), bestia (ia)
• Inuktitut: ᐆᒻᒪᔪᖅ (iu) (uummajuq), ᓂᕐᔪᑦ (iu) (nirjut)
• Inupiak: nirrun (ik), aŋusalluq (ik) m, aġnasalluq (ik) f
• Irish: ainmhí (ga) m

  Old Irish anmandae m

• Italian: animale (it) m, bestia (it) f
• Itelmen: girnik, tuva
• Japanese: 動物 (ja) (どうぶつ, dōbutsu)
• Javanese: kewan (jv)
• Kalmyk: адусн (adusn)
• Kannada: please add this translation if you can
• Karachay-Balkar: хайуан (xaywan)
• Karelian: elätti, žiivatta
• Kazakh: жануар (kk) (janwar), хайуан (kk) (xaywan), айуан (kk) (aywan)
• Khakas: аң (añ)
• Korean: 동물 (ko) (dongmul) (動物 (ko))
• Kumyk: гьайван (haywan)
• Kurdish:

  Kurmanji: ajal (ku), candar (ku), heywan (ku), lawir (ku)

  Sorani: حه‌یوان (ku) (HaiwAn), ئاژه‌ڵ (ku) (AjaL)

• Kyrgyz: айбан (ky) (ayban), жаныбар (ky) (canıbar)
• Lao: ສັດ (lo) (sat)
• Latgalian: dzeivnīks, žeivots
• Latin: animal (la) n, bestia (la) f
• Latvian: dzīvnieks (lv)
• Lithuanian: gyvūnas (lt) m
• Low German:

  Dutch Low Saxon: beest n

• Luxembourgish: Déier (lb) n
• Macedonian: животно (mk) (žívotno) n

• Malay:

  Rumi: binatang (ms), haiwan (ms), satwa (ms)

  Jawi: بيناتڠ (ms), حيوان (ms), ستوا (ms)

• Malayalam: മൃഗം (ml) (mrugam)
• Maori: kararehe (mi), kīrehe (mi)
• Marathi: जनावर (mr)
• Mingrelian: please add this translation if you can
• Mongolian: амьтан (mn) (am'tan)
• Nahuatl: yolkatl (nah)
• Navajo: naaldeehii
• Nepali: जनावर (ne) (janaawer)
• Norwegian: dyr (no)
• Novial: animale
• Occitan: animal (oc) m
• Old Church Slavonic: животъ (životъ) m, звѣрь (zvěrь) m
• Old English: dēor (ang) n
• Old High German: tior n
• Old Norse: dýr n
• Ossetian: please add this translation if you can
• Pali: jīvī (pi)
• Persian: جانور (fa) (jânvar), حیوان (fa) (heyvân)
• Pitjantjatjara: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: zwierzę (pl) n
• Portuguese: animal (pt) m, besta (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਹੈਵਾਨ (pa) (haivāna)
• Rohingya: focú, januar
• Romagnol: animêl
• Romani: hǝyvǝ́y (var: ḳayvayá)
• Romanian: animal (ro) n, fiară (ro) f
• Romansch: animal (rm) m, biestg (rm)
• Russian: животное (ru) (živótnoje) n, зверь (ru) (zver’) m, тварь (ru) (tvar') f, скотина (ru) (skotína) f
• Sanskrit: पशु (sa) (paśu), मृग (sa) (mṛga), प्राणी (sa) (prāṇī)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: animali

  Logudorese Sardinian: fiadu

  Sassarese Sardinian: animàri

• Scots: ainimal
• Scottish Gaelic: beathach (gd) m, ainmhidh (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: животиња (sh) f, звер (sh) f, скот (sh) m

  Roman: životinja (sh) f, zver (sh) f, skot (sh) m

• Sicilian: armali (scn)
• Sinhalese: සතා (si) (satā), plural: සත්‍තු (si) (sattu) pl
• Slovak: živočích (sk) m, zviera (sk) n
• Slovene: žival (sl) f, zver (sl) f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: zwěrje n

• Southern Altai: амыт (amıt)
• Spanish: animal (es) m, bestia (es) f
• Sumerian: 𒁕𒁕𒀯 (DADAMUL)
• Swahili: mnyama (sw), wanyama (sw) pl (noun 1/2)
• Swedish: djur (sv) n
• Tajik: ҳайвон (tg) (hayvon), ҷонвар (tg) (jonvar)
• Tamil: விலங்கு (ta)
• Tatar: xaywan (tt) (xaywan)
• Telugu: జంతువు (te)
• Thai: สัตว์ (th) (sàt)
• Tibetan: སེམས་ཅན (bo) (sems can)
• Tocharian A: lu
• Tocharian B: luwo
• Tongan: manu (to)
• Tswana: sebatana (tn), phologolo (tn)
• Turkish: hayvan (tr)
• Turkmen: haýwan (tk)
• Tuvan: амытан (amıtan)
• Ukrainian: тваринa (uk) (tvarýna) f, звір (uk) (zvir) m
• Urdu: حیوان (ur) (haivān) m, جانور (ur) (jānvar) m
• Uyghur: ھايۋان (ug) (haywan)
• Uzbek: hayvon (uz)
• Veps: živat
• Vietnamese: thú vật (vi), động vật (vi)
• Volapük: nim (vo), laidavamaf (vo) (warm-blooded), cenavamaf (vo) (cold-blooded)
• Võro: elläi
• Walloon: biesse (wa) f
• Welsh: anifail (cy) m; mil (cy) m
• West Frisian: dier (fy) n, bist (fy) n
• Xhosa: burhalarhume (xh), isilo (xh), isilwanyana (xh)
• Yakut: харамай (xaramay), кыыл (kııl)
• Yoruba: please add this translation if you can
• Yup'ik: ungungssit
• Zulu: isilwane (zu) 7/8

organism other than man

• Arabic: حيوان (ar) (ħayawān) m
• Armenian: կենդանի (hy) (kendani)
• Basque: animalia (eu)
• Burmese: အကောင် (my) (ăkaung)
• Catalan: animal (ca) m, bèstia (ca) f
• Esperanto: besto (eo)
• Faroese: djór (fo) n, dýr (fo) n
• Finnish: eläin (fi), elukka (fi)
• French: bête (fr) f, animal (fr) m

  Old French: beste

  Middle French: beste

• Greek: ζώο (el) (zóo) n, κτήνος (el) (ktínos) n, θηρίο (el) (thirío) n
• Greenlandic: uumasoq (kl)
• Haitian Creole: bèt, animal, zannimo
• Hebrew: בעל חיים (he) (ba`al khayim) m
• Icelandic: dýr (is) n
• Italian: animale (it) m, bestia (it) f
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: حه‌یوان (ku) (HaiwAn), ئاژه‌ڵ (ku) (AjaL)

• Macedonian: животно (mk) (žívotno) n

• Malay:

  Rumi: binatang (ms), haiwan (ms), satwa (ms)

  Jawi: بيناتڠ (ms), حيوان (ms), ستوا (ms)

• Maori: kararehe (mi), kararehe (mi), kīrehe (mi)
• Nama: xamanin
• Navajo: naaldlooshii
• Portuguese: animal (pt) m
• Romanian: animal (ro) n, jivină (ro) f
• Russian: животное (ru) (živótnoje) n, зверь (ru) (zver’) m
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: animali

  Logudorese Sardinian: animàri

  Sassarese Sardinian: animàri

• Scots: ainimal
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: животиња (sh) f

  Roman: životinja (sh) f

• Swahili: mnyama (sw)
• Walloon: biesse (wa) f
• Yucatec Maya: ba’alche’

person who behaves wildly

• Basque: animalia (eu)
• Breton: aneval (br) m
• Bulgarian: хайванин (bg) (haivanin) m
• Catalan: bèstia (ca) f, animal (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野獸 (cmn), 野兽 (cmn) (yěshòu)

• Czech: zvíře (cs) n
• Dutch: beest (nl) n
• Finnish: eläin (fi), elukka (fi)
• French: bête (fr) f
• German: Bestie (de) f, Unmensch (de) m, Monster (de) n, Scheusal (de) n
• Greek: ζώο (el) (zóo) n, κτήνος (el) (ktínos) n, αγροίκος (el) (agroíkos) m
• Hebrew: חיה (he) (khaya) f
• Icelandic: dýr (is) n, óargadýr (is) n
• Italian: animale (it) m, bestia (it) f
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: حه‌یوان (ku) (HaiwAn)

• Latgalian: zviers m, dzeivnīks m
• Latvian: zvērs (lv) m, dzīvnieks (lv) m

• Lithuanian: žvėris (lt) m, gyvulys (lt) m
• Malay:

  Rumi: binatang (ms), haiwan (ms), satwa (ms)

  Jawi: بيناتڠ (ms), حيوان (ms), ستوا (ms)

• Norwegian: dyr (no) n
• Persian: حیوان (fa) (heyvân)
• Portuguese: animal (pt) m
• Romanian: fiară (ro) f
• Russian: животное (ru) (živótnoje) n, зверь (ru) (zver’) m, скотина (ru) (skotína) f
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: animali

  Logudorese Sardinian: animàri

  Sassarese Sardinian: animàri

• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: звер (sh) m, хајван (sh) m, животиња (sh) f

  Roman: zver (sh) m, hajvan (sh) m, životinja (sh) f

• Slovak: zviera (sk) n
• Swahili: mnyama (sw)
• Swedish: best (sv) c

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Inuktitut: ᐆᒻᒪᔪᖅ (iu) (uummajuq), ᓂᕐᔪᑦ (iu) (nirjut)
• Inupiak: nirrun (ik), aŋusalluq (ik) m, aġnasalluq (ik) f

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, To explain what activated the flesh, ‘animal spirits’ were posited, superfine fluids which shuttled between the mind and the vitals, conveying messages and motion. — Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason (Penguin 2004, p. 47)
4. (slang, Ireland) Excellent.

Synonyms

• (of animals): beastly, bestial
• (unhindered by social codes): animalistic, beastly, bestial, untamed, wild

Translations

of animals

• Asturian: animal (ast)
• Breton: loenel (br)
• Bulgarian: животински (bg) (životinski) m, необуздан (bg) (neobuzdan) m
• Catalan: animal (ca)
• Czech: zvířecí (cs)
• Danish: dyrisk (da)
• Dutch: dierlijk (nl), dierlijke (nl)
• Finnish: eläin- (in compounds)
• French: animal (fr)
• Galician: animal (gl)
• German: tierisch (de)
• Greek: ζωώδης (el) (zoóðis)
• Hebrew: חייתי (he) (ḥayati) m
• Hungarian: állati (hu)
• Icelandic: dýrslegur (is)
• Interlingua: animal (ia)
• Italian: animale (it)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: حه‌یوانی (ku)

• Latin: animalis (la)
• Macedonian: животински (mk) (živótinski)
• Malay:

  Rumi: binatang (ms), haiwan (ms), satwa (ms)

  Jawi: بيناتڠ (ms), حيوان (ms), ستوا (ms)

• Norwegian: animalisk (no), dyrisk (no)
• Persian: حیوانی (fa) (heyvâni)
• Polish: zwierzęcy (pl)
• Portuguese: animal (pt)
• Romanian: animal (ro), animalice (ro)
• Russian: звериный (ru) (zverínyj) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: анималан (sh), животињски (sh)

  Roman: animalan (sh), životinjski (sh)

• Slovak: zvierací (sk) m
• Slovene: živálski (sl)
• Spanish: animal (es)
• Swahili: kinyama (sw), mifugo (sw)
• Swedish: djurisk (sv)

unhindered by social codes

• Bulgarian: животински (bg) (životinski) n pl
• Catalan: animal (ca)
• Finnish: eläimellinen (fi)
• Greek: άγριος (el) (agrios)
• Hebrew: פרוע (he) (parua) m
• Icelandic: dýrslegur (is)
• Italian: animale (it)

• Macedonian: животински (mk) (živótinski)
• Portuguese: animal (pt)
• Romanian: sălbatic (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: анималан (sh), животињски (sh)

  Roman: animalan (sh), životinjski (sh)

• Swahili: kinyama (sw), mifugo (sw)

of soul

• Hungarian: lelki (hu)
• Italian: animale (it)

• Macedonian: душевен (mk) (dúševen)

Derived terms

• animalistic
• animal magnetism
• manimal

See also

• Wiktionary appendix of terms relating to animals

Anagrams

• Almain
• aminal
• lamina
• maalin
• Malian
• manila, Manila

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Asturian

Adjective

animal (epicene, plural animales)

1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animales)

1. animal

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Catalan

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɫ

Noun

animal m (plural animals)

1. animal

Adjective

animal m, f (masculine and feminine plural animals)

1. animal

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal, animalis.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA: /a.ni.mal/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophones: animale, animales

Noun

animal m (plural animaux)

1. animal

Synonyms

• bête
• bestiole

Derived terms

• animal de compagnie
• animalerie

Adjective

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

1. animal

Synonyms

• bestial

Antonyms

• végétal

Anagrams

• lamina

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Galician

Adjective

animal m and f (plural animais)

1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animais)

1. animal

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Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French animal, from Latin animal.

Noun

animal

1. animal

Synonyms

• zannimo

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Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA: /a.niˈmal/

Noun

animal (plural animales)

1. animal

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Latin

Etymology

From anima (“breath, life”)

Noun

animal (genitive animālis); n, third declension

1. animal
2. living creature

Inflection

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

Synonyms

• animalis, bestia

Related terms

• anima
• animalis
• animare
• animus

Descendants

Aromanian: nãmaljiu, numaljiu, nãmalju Asturian: animal Catalan: animal English: animal French: animal, aumaille Friulian: animâl, nemâl Galician: animal Italian: animale Jèrriais: annima

Maltese: annimal Norman: animâ Portuguese: animal, alimanha, alimária Romagnol: animêl Romanian: animal, nămaie Romansch: animal Sicilian: armali, armalu Spanish: alimaña, almaje, animal

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Middle French

Noun

animal m (plural animaux or animaulx)

1. animal

Synonyms

• beste

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin animal, animalis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA: /ɐ.ni.ˈmaʊ/
• (Portugal) IPA: /ɐ.ni.ˈmaɫ/

Noun

animal m (plural animais)

1. animal

Adjective

animal m and f (plural animais; comparable)

1. Or or relating to animals; animal.
2. (slang) cool; nice

Inflection

  Inflection of the Portuguese adjective animal

• Adjectives with this inflection include: abdominal, medieval, normal.

	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
positive	animal		animais
comparative	mais animal		mais animais
superlative	o mais animal animalíssimo	a mais animal animalíssima	os mais animais animalíssimos	as mais animais animalíssimas

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Romanian

Etymology

From Latin animalis through French animal.

Adjective

animal ^{4 nom/acc forms}

1. animal, animalistic
2. brutal

Declension

declension of animal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	animal		animală	animali	animale
	definite	animalul		animala	animalii	animalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	animal		animale	animali	animale
	definite	animalului		animalei	animalilor	animalelor

Adverb

animal

1. brutally

Noun

animal n (plural animale)

1. animal

Declension

declension of animal

	singular		plural
gender n	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	un animal	animalul	niște animale	animalele
genitive/dative	unui animal	animalului	unor animale	animalelor

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Romansch

Etymology

From Latin animal.

Noun

animal m (plural animals)

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

Synonyms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran) biestg
• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan) bestga
• (Sursilvan) tier, bestia
• (Puter, Vallader) bes-cha

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin animal, animalis.

Noun

animal m (plural animales)

1. animal

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

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.

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