Etymograph

English

exanimation

Exanimation comes from Latin exanimatio ‘suffocation, panic’, from exanimō ‘to be out of breath’, 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, life force, soul, vitality’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanima1‘air, breath’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimō2‘fill with breath or air’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexanimō3‘to be out of breath’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexanimatio4‘suffocation, panic’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1761exanimation4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin animo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin exanimo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin exanimatio
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English exanimation
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1761, A Complete History of the Arabs:: “The second [blast of the trumpet] they denominate the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-Wiktionary, Latin animo‘to breathe’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mosWiktionary, Latin animo‘breath’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamosWiktionary, Latin animo‘breath’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimusWiktionary, Latin animo‘life, life force, soul, vitality’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimaWiktionary, Latin animo‘air, breath’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimōWiktionary, Latin exanimo‘fill with breath or air’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexanimōWiktionary, Latin exanimatio‘to be out of breath’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexanimatioWiktionary, English exanimation‘suffocation, panic’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1761exanimationWiktionary, English exanimation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1761, A Complete History of the Arabs:: “The second [blast of the trumpet] they denominate the…”

Linked words

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

and, asthma, inhale, prana, onde, exhalation, 16 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos ‘breath’

anemone, 10 more

through Proto-Italic *anamos ‘breath’

unanimously, 9 more

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

unanimous, animosity, animus, 10 more

through Latin anima ‘air, breath’

animal, anima, animism, 5 more

through Latin animō ‘fill with breath or air’

anime, animate, animator, 4 more

Today it means

noun Deprivation of life or spirits.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “exanimation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin animo, Latin exanimo, Latin exanimatio. 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- / exanimation

Shirt and support for this word