animal

See also: Animal and animâl

English

Pronunciation

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

• 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 animālis, 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. […], 2nd corrected and much enlarged edition, London: Printed by A. Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath. Ekins, […], 1650, OCLC 152706203, book 3, 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.

   Synonyms: beast, creature

2. In non-scientific usage, any member of the kingdom Animalia other than a human.

   Synonym: beast

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.

   Synonyms: brute, monster, savage

5. (informal) A person of a particular type.

   He's a political animal.

6. Matter, thing.

   a whole different animal

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:animal

Related terms

• anima
• Animalia
• animate
• animus

 

Translations

See animal/translations § Noun.

Etymology 2

From Latin animālis, 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

   Synonyms: beastly, bestial

2. Raw, base, unhindered by social codes.

   animal passions

   Synonyms: animalistic, beastly, bestial, untamed, wild

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

Derived terms

• animal feed
• animalistic
• animal liberation
• animal magnetism
• animal rights
• manimal
• party animal
• political animal
• power animal
• spirit animal

 

Translations

of animals

• Albanian: kafshë (sq)
• Asturian: animal (ast)
• Breton: loenel
• Bulgarian: животински (bg) m (životinski), необуздан (bg) m (neobuzdan)
• Catalan: animal (ca)
• Czech: zvířecí (cs)
• Danish: dyrisk
• Dutch: dierlijk (nl), dierlijke (nl)
• Finnish: eläin (fi)- (in compounds)
• French: animal (fr)
• Galician: animal (gl)
• German: tierisch (de)
• Greek: ζωώδης (el) (zoódis)
• Hebrew: חַיָּתִי‎ m (ḥayyatí)
• Hungarian: állati (hu)
• Icelandic: dýrslegur
• Ido: animala (io), animalala (io)
• Interlingua: animal
• Interlingue: animal (ie)
• Irish: ainmhíoch
• Italian: animale (it)
• Japanese: 生き物の (ikimono no)
• Kabuverdianu: limária
• Kurdish: ajal (ku)

  Sorani: حەیوانی‎ (ku) (ḧeywanî)

• Latin: animalis (la)
• Latvian: dzīvnieka, dzīvniecisks
• Macedonian: живо́тински (živótinski)
• Malay:

  Jawi: بيناتڠ‎, حيوان‎, ستوا‎

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

• Norwegian: dyrisk

  Bokmål: animalsk

  Nynorsk: animalsk

• Persian: حیوانی‎ (fa) (heyvâni)
• Polish: zwierzęcy (pl)
• Portuguese: animal (pt)
• Romanian: animal (ro), animalic (ro)
• Russian: звери́ный (ru) m (zverínyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: анималан, животињски

  Roman: animalan (sh), životinjski (sh)

• Slovak: zvierací m
• Slovene: živálski
• Spanish: animal (es)
• Swahili: kinyama, mifugo (sw)
• Swedish: djurisk (sv)
• Turkish: hayvansal (tr), hayvanca (tr), hayvanî (tr)

unhindered by social codes

• Bulgarian: животински (bg) n pl (životinski)
• Catalan: animal (ca)
• Finnish: eläimellinen (fi)
• Galician: animal (gl)
• Greek: άγριος (el) (ágrios)
• Hebrew: חַיָּתִי‎ m (ḥayyatí), בַּהֲמִי‎ m (behemí)
• Icelandic: dýrslegur
• Irish: ainmhíoch
• Italian: animale (it)

• Latvian: dzīvniecisks
• Macedonian: живо́тински (živótinski)
• Portuguese: animal (pt)
• Romanian: sălbatic (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: анималан, животињски

  Roman: animalan (sh), životinjski (sh)

• Swahili: kinyama, mifugo (sw)
• Turkish: hayvanî (tr), hayvanca (tr)

of soul

• Finnish: animaalinen, sielullinen
• Hungarian: lelki (hu)
• Italian: animale (it)

• Macedonian: ду́шевен (dúševen)
• Romanian: sufletesc (ro)

See also

• Wiktionary appendix of terms relating to animals

References

• animal at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Almain, Malian, Manila, Milana, al-Amin, aminal, lamina, maalin, manila

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Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Adjective

animal (epicene, plural animales)

1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animales)

1. animal

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Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

animal (masculine and feminine plural animals)

1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animals)

1. animal

Derived terms

• animalitzar (“to animalize”)

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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 animālis, from anima (“breath, spirit”).

Noun

animal

1. animal
2. (derogatory) a contemptible person
3. (sometimes humurous), a crazy person

Adjective

animal

1. (sometimes humurous), crazy
2. contemptible, deserving contempt
3. ruthless; without pity or compassion; cruel, pitiless

Etymology 2

From Spanish animal, from Latin animal.

Interjection

animal

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

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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: bête, bestiole

Derived terms

• animal de compagnie
• animalerie

 

Adjective

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

1. animal

   Synonym: bestial

   Antonym: végétal

Further reading

• “animal” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• lamina

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Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin animal.

Adjective

animal m or 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

   Synonym: zannimo

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Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.niˈmal/

Noun

animal (plural animales)

1. animal

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Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese animal.

Noun

animal

1. beast
2. animal

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Latin

Etymology

From animāle, nominative neuter singular of animālis.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.ni.mal/, [ˈa.n̪ɪ.maɫ̪]

Noun

animal n (genitive animālis); third declension

1. animal
2. living creature

Declension

Third-declension noun (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

• animālis
• bestia

Related terms

• anima
• animō
• animus

 

Descendants

• Aromanian: nãmalj, nãmaljiu
• Asturian: animal
• Breton: aneval
• Catalan: animal
• English: animal
• Franco-Provençal: armalye, animal (borrowing)
• French: animal, aumaille, armaille
• Friulian: animâl, nemâl
• Galician: almallo, animal (borrowing)
• Italian: animale
• Maltese: annimal
• Norman: animâ (France), annima (Jersey)
• Portuguese: animal, almalho, alimanha, alimária
• Romagnol: animêl
• Romanian: animal, nămaie
• Romansch: animal
• Sicilian: armali, armalu
• Spanish: alimaña, almaje, animal
• Tarantino: anemale
• Venetian: animal, anemal
• Welsh: anifail

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^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • animate and inanimate nature: animata (animalia) inanimaque (not inanimata)
    
  • domestic animals: animalia quae nobiscum degunt (Plin. 8. 40)
    

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Middle English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aniˈmaːl/, /aˈnimal/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French animal, from Latin animal.

Alternative forms

• animale

Noun

animal (plural animales)

1. An animal (considered to include humans)

Descendants

• English: animal
• Scots: ainimal

References

• “animāl (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-01-16.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin animālis.

Alternative forms

• animale, animall, anymal, anymall

Adjective

animal

1. Related to the soul or spirit of a living being (i.e. sentience or sapience)

Descendants

• English: animal

References

• “animāl (adj.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-01-16.

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Middle French

Noun

animal m (plural animaux or animaulx)

1. animal

   Synonym: beste

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Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese animal and Spanish animal.

Noun

animal

1. beast
2. animal

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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
• Rhymes: -aw

Adjective

animal m or f (plural animais, comparable)

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

Inflection

Inflection of animal

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

Quotations

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

Noun

animal m (plural animais)|animais

1. (biology) animal (any member of the kingdom Animalia)
2. (non-scientific usage) animal (an animal other than a human, especially a vertebrate)

   Synonyms: besta, bicho

3. (colloquial) twat; idiot; moron

   Synonym: idiota

4. (colloquial) beast (a cruel person)

   Synonym: monstro

Quotations

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

Derived terms

• animalizar (“to animalize”)
• animalzão (augmentative)
• animalzinho (diminutive)

 

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Romanian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.niˈmal/

Adjective

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

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
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) animal	animalul	(niște) animale	animalele
genitive/dative	(unui) animal	animalului	(unor) animale	animalelor
vocative	animalule		animalelor

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Romansch

Etymology

Borrowed 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

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aniˈmal/
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

animal (plural animales)

1. animal

Noun

animal m (plural animales)

1. animal

Derived terms

• animalada
• animal de carga
• animalero
• animalesco
• animalillo
• animalismo
• animalista
• animalístico
• animalito
• animalizar
• animalmente
• animalucho

 

Related terms

• animálculo
• animalidad

 

Anagrams

• lámina
• lamina

Further reading

• “animal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English animal.

Noun

animal

1. animal (members of Kingdom Animalia that are not humans)
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, 1:25:

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   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.