animer

Forms

animer^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin animō (“to give life to, enliven”), recorded from 1358;^[2][3][4] Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF date it from Oresme in the 14th century.^[5][6] The Latin verb is from anima (“breath of life, soul”), the source of âme and animal.^[2][5][3] Cognate with Occitan animar, Spanish animar and Italian animare.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In its first uses it meant to breathe life into something, in a religious context, God's act, and also to encourage or excite (1358).^[2] Oresme writes Le juge est comme droit animé et vivant “the judge is as it were law endowed with a soul and living”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Besides “to encourage, rouse”, Middle French used it for “to anger” (15th century), and in the 16th century s'animer meant “to grow angry” (1575) before taking its modern sense in the 17th.^[2][7] Classical French used it chiefly for urging to action, close to inspirer, exciter or enflammer.^[2][6] From the sun that “animates nature” (1691) it came to mean filling a place with activity and movement (early 18th century, Saint-Simon).^[2]

The past participle animé took on its own uses: êtres animés for living creatures (14th century), the genre animé of linguistics (Meillet, 1897), and dessin animé (1916) for the cartoon film.^[2] In the cinema the verb briefly meant to direct an actor (1919) or a film (1922); about 1970 it was revived for leading and enlivening a meeting or group, in step with animation and animateur.^[2]

Timeline

• 1358 – First record, “to give life” and “to encourage”.^[2][3]
• 15th century – Used in the sense “to anger”.^[2]
• 1478 – The derivative inanimé is recorded.^[5]
• 1549 – Ranimer is recorded.^[5]
• 1691 – Animer la nature, said of the sun.^[2]
• 1801 – Animateur appears.^[5]
• 1916 – Dessin animé “cartoon”.^[2]
• c. 1970 – Revived for leading a meeting or group.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To give life to, breathe life into: Le sculpteur anime le bronze.^[8][9][7]
2. To fill with activity and movement; to enliven: animer la soirée, animer la conversation.^[8][10]
3. To lead and run a meeting, a show, a group: to host, present.^[10][2]
4. To communicate one's ardour to; to spur on, encourage;^[8][9] (dated) to stir up against someone.^[8][9]
5. Of a feeling, to drive or inspire someone: Une même passion anime tous les cœurs.^[7][9]
6. To set in motion;^[9][1] (animation) to animate drawings or figures.^[9][1]
7. S'animer: to come alive, become lively or heated.^[9][8]

Word family

• ranimer
• réanimer
• animateur
• inanimé
• animé

Related words

• âme
• animal
• animation
• Latin anima

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 594a
5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
10. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)