animal

Where does the word "animal" come from? It comes from Latin animal, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Animal’s story begins in Latin: animal meant “living creature.” 'a living being', from anima 'breath, soul'; Books 8-11 of Pliny's Natural History survey the animals of the known world. It reached English by 1300s as animal. Rare before 1600, when 'beast' was usual; Shakespeare's Hamlet (c. 1600) calls man 'the paragon of animals'. Today, animal means a living organism that feeds and can move; a creature other than a human.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · classical animal "living creature", 'a living being', from anima 'breath, soul'; Books 8-11 of Pliny's Natural History survey the animals of the known world.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s animal "living creature", rare before 1600, when 'beast' was usual; Shakespeare's Hamlet (c. 1600) calls man 'the paragon of animals'.