How do you pronounce animate?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæn.ə.mət/.

Where does animate come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

animate

/ˈæn.ə.mət/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.14 in modern English

Syllables: an-i-mate
IPA: /ˈæn.ə.mət/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

That lives.

adj

That has (or is believed to have) a spirit (anima) and/or some amount of consciousness and sentience, either being alive or supernaturally seeming alive.

adj

Possessing the quality or ability of motion.

adj

Dynamic, energetic.

adj

having a referent that is considered alive (this generally includes humans, animals and deities, sometimes also plants, spirits, etc.)

adj

Inflected to agree with an animate noun or pronoun.

verb

To impart motion or the appearance of motion to.

Transitive verb

verb

To give spirit or vigour to; to stimulate or enliven; to inspirit.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"She is an engaging and animate speaker."
"Nouns can be singular or plural, and one of two genders, animate or inanimate."
"leaves animated by a stiff breeze"
"If we animate the model, we can see the complexity of the action."
"The more to animate the people, he stood on high […] and cried unto them with a loud voice."

Etymology

From Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₂enh₁-, animate, animātus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈæn.ə.mət/
British English: /ˈæn.ɪ.mət/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

more animate (comparative) most animate (superlative) animates (present, singular) animating (participle, present) animated (participle, past) animated (past)

Derived Forms

animacy animately animateness animatism animatist inanimate interanimate reanimate semianimate subanimate animatable animative

Phrases

non-animate transitive animate animated cartoon animated oat

Frequently Paired Words

exanimate animation animatrice

Synonyms

alive living vital above ground alive and kicking alive and well animate animated extant kicking live lively

Antonyms

inanimate lifeless asleep at rest blessed cadaverous clay-cold deceased breathless resting cold decomposed

Rhymes With

inanimate