ánima

See also: anima, animá, ànima, animà, animâ, and ânima

Galician

Alternative forms

• anima (reintegrationist)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin anima. Doublet of alma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈanima/ [ˈa.nĩ.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -anima
• Hyphenation: á‧ni‧ma

Noun

ánima f (plural ánimas)

1. soul (especially of the dead)

   Synonym: alma

Portuguese

Noun

ánima f (plural ánimas)

1. alternative spelling of anima

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin anima. Compare alma, a doublet inherited from the same source.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈanima/ [ˈa.ni.ma]
• Rhymes: -anima
• Syllabification: á‧ni‧ma

Noun

ánima f (plural ánimas)

1. soul

   Synonym: alma

2. bore, calibre

   Synonym: calibre

Usage notes

• Before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like ánima, the singular definite article takes the form of el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el ánima. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al ánima, del ánima.

This also applies to the indefinite article, which takes the form of un, which is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una also occurs): un ánima or una ánima. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).

However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) are used: la mejor ánima, una buena ánima.

• In these cases, el and un are not masculine but feminine, deriving from Latin illa and una, respectively, even though they are identical in form to the corresponding masculine singular articles. Thus, they are allomorphs of the feminine singular articles la and una.
• The use of these allomorphs does not change the gender agreement of the adjectives modifying the feminine noun: el ánima única, un(a) ánima buena.
• In the plural, the usual feminine plural articles and determiners (las, unas, etc.) are always used.

Related terms

• animal
• animar
• animismo
• animista
• ánimo

Descendants

• Highland Popoluca: a̱namaj
• Mezquital Otomi: animä
• Oluta Popoluca: a̱nima

Further reading

• “ánima”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10