animal

animal · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁mos
3. Proto-Italic*anamos
4. Latinanimus
5. Latinanima
6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
8. Latinanimālis
9. Latinanimal
10. Old Frenchanima
11. Middle Englishanimal
12. English todayanimal

From Middle English animal, from Old French animal, from Latin animal, a nominal use of the adjective form animāle, neuter of animālis, from anima (“breath, spirit”). Displaced native English deer (outside puristic usage) in the general animal sense, from Middle English der, deor (“animal”), from Old English dēor, related to German Tier (“animal”), Dutch dier, Danish dyr, Swedish djur etc. Displaced also rother (“horned animal, esp. ox”, now obsolete), from Middle English rother, reother (“a bovine”), from Old English hrīþer, hrȳþer.

animal · adjective²

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁mos
3. Proto-Italic*anamos
4. Latinanimus
5. Latinanima
6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
8. Latinanimālis
9. Middle Englishanimal
10. English todayanimal

From Middle English animal, 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.

Words from the same roots