Etymology Map
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Animal

2 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a living organism that feeds and can move; a creature other than a human

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
animal
Latin · classical
"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 of 2
animal
English · 1300s
"living creature"
rare before 1600, when 'beast' was usual; Shakespeare's Hamlet (c. 1600) calls man 'the paragon of animals'
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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.