animal

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

• Audio (US)

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organism
mammal fish amphibian reptile bird insect

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”)).

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

   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

• See also Thesaurus:animal

See animal/translations § Noun.

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.

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

• Wiktionary appendix of terms relating to animals

• animal at OneLook Dictionary Search

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

Borrowed from Latin animal.

animal (epicene, plural animales)

1. animal

animal m (plural animales)

1. animal

Borrowed from Latin animal.

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

animal (masculine and feminine plural animals)

1. animal

animal m (plural animals)

1. animal

• animalitzar (“to animalize”)

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”).

animal

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

animal

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

From Spanish animal, from Latin animal.

animal

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

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

• IPA^(key): /a.ni.mal/

• (un animal)

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• Audio

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• Homophones: animale, animales

animal m (plural animaux)

1. animal

   Synonyms: bête, bestiole

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

1. animal

   Synonym: bestial

   Antonym: végétal

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

• lamina

Borrowed from Latin animal.

animal m or f (plural animais)

1. animal

animal m (plural animais)

1. animal

From French animal, from Latin animal.

animal

1. animal

   Synonym: zannimo

• IPA^(key): /a.niˈmal/

animal (plural animales)

1. animal

From Portuguese animal.

animal

1. beast
2. animal

From animāle, nominative neuter singular of animālis.

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

animal n (genitive animālis); third declension

1. animal
2. living creature

Third declension neuter “pure” i-stem.

• animālis
• bestia

• 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)
    

• IPA^(key): /aniˈmaːl/, /aˈnimal/

Borrowed from Old French animal, from Latin animal.

• animale

animal (plural *animales)

1. An animal (considered to include humans)

• English: animal
• Scots: ainimal

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

Borrowed from Latin animālis.

• animale, animall, anymal, anymall

animal

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

• English: animal

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

animal m (plural animaux or animaulx)

1. animal

   Synonym: beste

From Portuguese animal and Spanish animal.

animal

1. beast
2. animal

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

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

animal m or f (plural animais, comparable)

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

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

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

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

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

• IPA^(key): /a.niˈmal/

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

1. animal, animalistic
2. brutal

animal

1. brutally

animal n (plural animale)

1. animal

Borrowed from Latin animal.

animal m (plural animals)

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

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

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

• IPA^(key): /aniˈmal/
• Rhymes: -al

animal (masculine plural animals, feminine plural animales)|mpl=animales

1. animal

animal m (plural animales)|animales

1. animal

• animalizar (“to animalize”)

(diminutive animalillo or animalito)

• lámina
• lamina

From English animal.

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