Etymologically
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animalis

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [a.nɪˈmaː.lɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [a.niˈmaː.lis][1]

Forms

animālis (neuter animāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from anima “breath, soul” with the suffix -ālis.[2][1][3] Anima goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe”).[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Cicero, of the element air.[2] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant consisting of air, as in Cicero's list of substances earthy, fiery, airy or watery, then living, animate, and life-giving, vital, with vēna animālis “artery”, and belonging to a living creature, animal.[2][5][6] As a noun it meant a living creature, an animal.[2]

In Christian and Medieval Latin it meant of the soul, and in the Pauline sense natural, of the flesh, as opposed to spiritual.[7][8] English animal came in the early 14th century from its neuter used as a noun, animal “living being”.[3]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of air and of living things.[2][4]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it.[4]
  • early 14th century – English animal (from animal) is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of air, aerial.[2]
  2. Living, animate; vital.[2]
  3. Of a living creature, animal.[2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Of the soul; of the flesh.[7]

Word family

  • animālitās
  • animal
  • exanimālis
  • inanimālis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press