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animatus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word animatus

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*h₂enh₁-)

Forms

animātus (feminine animāta, neuter animātum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is the perfect participle of animō “to give life to, animate”, from animus (“mind, spirit”).[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨animus⟩ to Proto-Italic *anamo- (“breath, spirit”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-mo- (“breath”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Plautus, who uses it of being disposed or minded, and the OLD also cites Ennius.[4][2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant endowed with a specified spirit, spirited, as in Ennius; having a specified attitude, inclined, disposed, minded, as in Plautus; living, alive, as in Cicero's animāta inanimīs antepōnere “to put living things before lifeless ones”; and of plants growing, fresh.[2][5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of disposition.[2][4]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of spirit.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of living things.[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Endowed with a spirit; spirited.[2]
  2. Inclined, disposed, minded.[2]
  3. Living, animate, alive.[2][5]
  4. (of plants) Growing, fresh.[2]

Usage notes

A fourth-declension noun animātus “breathing” occurs in Pliny the Elder, animātū carēre “to be without breath”.[2][6][5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Animatus.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/animatus. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·