Where does “animate” come from?

animate (Middle English) comes from Latin animātus, from Latin animō, from Latin anima, from Latin animus, from Proto-Italic anamos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂enh₁mos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂enh₁- — to breathe.

animate (Middle English): animate, alive; showing the signs or symptoms of life

Definitions

  1. animate, alive; showing the signs or symptoms of life

Ancestry of “animate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinanimātusfilled with breath or air
2Latinanimōto fill with breath or air
3Latinanimasoul, spirit, life; air, breeze; breath
4LatinanimusThat life-giving aspect which animates: life...
5Proto-Italicanamosbreath; spirit, soul, life force
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂enh₁mosbreath
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂enh₁-to breathe

Words derived from “animate

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂enh₁-