Etymograph

English

animal

Animal comes from Middle English animal ‘an animal’, from Latin anima ‘breath, spirit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-1‘to breathe’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos1‘breath’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamos1‘breath’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimus1‘life’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanima1‘breath’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimālis1
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimal1
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400animal1
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500animal1‘an animal’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1650animal1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English animal
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Of the Cameleon: “It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-Wiktionary, English animal‘to breathe’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mosWiktionary, English animal‘breath’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamosWiktionary, English animal‘breath’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimusWiktionary, English animal‘life’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimaWiktionary, English animal‘breath’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimālisWiktionary, English animal
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimalWiktionary, English animal
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400animalWiktionary, English animal
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500animalWiktionary, English animal‘an animal’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1650animalWiktionary, English animal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Of the Cameleon: “It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- ‘to breathe’

and, asthma, inhale, exhalation, prana, onde, 20 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos ‘breath’

anemone, 13 more

through Latin animus ‘life, life force, soul, vitality’

unanimously, unanimous, animosity, animus, 12 more

through Latin anima ‘breath, spirit’

anime, animism, 9 more

Another origin of animal

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-‘to breathe’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos‘breath’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamos‘breath’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimus‘life, life force, soul, vitality’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanima‘breath, spirit’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimālis
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500animal‘Related to the soul or spirit of a living being’
  8. Englishtodayanimal

Originally distinct from the noun, it became associated with attributive use of the noun and is now indistinguishable from it.

Today it means

noun A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia that is usually mobile, with cells that are not encased in a rigid cell wall (distinguishing them from plants and fungi) and derives energy solely from the consumption of other organisms.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “animal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- / animal

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