Etymology

animalism

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Today it means: The doctrine that humans are merely animals, and lack any spirituality. Full definition →

First used 18th c.English animal ← Middle English animal ← Old French anima
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The story

  1. Latinanimālis
  2. Latinanimal
  3. Old Frenchanima
  4. Middle Englishanimal
  5. Englishanimal
  6. English todayanimalism

From animal + -ism.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 18th c. The doctrine that humans are merely animals, and lack any spirituality.
  • from 19th c. Animal-like behaviour or appetite; brutality.
  • from 19th c. In a positive sense: natural animal activity; physicality, natural energy.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.