to give life to; make alive: God animated the dust.
2.
to make lively, vivacious, or vigorous; give zest or spirit to: Her presence animated the party.
3.
to fill with courage or boldness; encourage: to animate weary troops.
4.
to move or stir to action; motivate: He was animated by religious zeal.
5.
to give motion to: leaves animated by a breeze.
6.
to prepare or produce as an animated cartoon: to animate a children's story.
–adjective
7.
alive; possessing life: animate creatures.
8.
lively: an animate expression of joy.
9.
of or relating to animal life.
10.
able to move voluntarily.
11.
Linguistics. belonging to a syntactic category or having a semantic feature that is characteristic of words denoting beings regarded as having perception and volition (opposed to inanimate).
[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME animat < L animātus filled with breath or air, quickened, animated (ptp. of animāre). See anima, -ate1]
—Related forms
an·i·mate·ly, adverb
an·i·mate·ness, noun
an·i·mat·ing·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. vivify, quicken, vitalize. 2. energize, fortify. Animate,invigorate,stimulate mean to enliven. To animate is to create a liveliness: Health and energy animated his movements. To invigorate means to give physical vigor, to refresh, to exhilarate: Mountain air invigorates. To stimulate is to arouse a latent liveliness on a particular occasion: Alcohol stimulates. 3. inspire, inspirit, hearten, arouse, exhilarate. 4. excite, incite, fire, urge, kindle, prompt.
1538, "to fill with boldness or courage,"from L. animatus pp. of animare "give breath to," from anima "life, breath" (see animus). The adj. meaning "alive" is from 1605. Animated "full of activity" is from 1585. In ref. to "moving pictures" it dates from 1895; animation in the cinematographic sense is from 1912.
belonging to the class of nouns that denote living beings; "the word 'dog' is animate" [ant: inanimate]
2.
endowed with animal life as distinguished from plant life; "we are animate beings" [ant: inanimate]
3.
endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness; "the living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage"- T.E.Lawrence [syn: sentient] [ant: insensate]
verb
1.
heighten or intensify; "These paintings exalt the imagination" [syn: inspire]
2.
give lifelike qualities to; "animated cartoons" [syn: animize]
3.
make lively; "let's liven up this room a bit" [syn: enliven] [ant: blunt]
4.
give new life or energy to; "A hot soup will revive me"; "This will renovate my spirits"; "This treatment repaired my health"
Main Entry: an·i·mate Pronunciation: 'an-&-m&t Function: adjective 1: possessing or characterized by life 2: of or relating to animal life as opposed to plant life
An"i*mal\, n. [L., fr. anima breath, soul: cf. F. animal. See Animate.]1. An organized living being endowed with sensation and the power of voluntary motion, and also characterized by taking its food into an internal cavity or stomach for digestion; by giving carbonic acid to the air and taking oxygen in the process of respiration; and by increasing in motive power or active aggressive force with progress to maturity. 2. One of the lower animals; a brute or beast, as distinguished from man; as, men and animals.
An"i*mate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Animated; p. pr. & vb. n. Animating.] [L. animatus, p. p. of animare, fr. anima breath, soul; akin to animus soul, mind, Gr. ? wind, Skr. an to breathe, live, Goth. us-anan to expire (us- out), Icel. ["o]nd breath, anda to breathe, OHG. ando anger. Cf. Animal.]1. To give natural life to; to make alive; to quicken; as, the soul animates the body. 2. To give powers to, or to heighten the powers or effect of; as, to animate a lyre. --Dryden. 3. To give spirit or vigor to; to stimulate or incite; to inspirit; to rouse; to enliven. The more to animate the people, he stood on high . . . and cried unto them with a loud voice. --Knolles. Syn: To enliven; inspirit; stimulate; exhilarate; inspire; instigate; rouse; urge; cheer; prompt; incite; quicken; gladden.
An"i*mism\, n. [Cf. F. animisme, fr. L. anima soul. See Animate.]1. The doctrine, taught by Stahl, that the soul is the proper principle of life and development in the body. 2. The belief that inanimate objects and the phenomena of nature are endowed with personal life or a living soul; also, in an extended sense, the belief in the existence of soul or spirit apart from matter. --Tylor.
An`i*mos"i*ty\, n.; pl. Animosities. [F. animosit['e], fr. L. animositas. See Animose, Animate, v. t.]1. Mere spiritedness or courage. [Obs.] --Skelton. Such as give some proof of animosity, audacity, and execution, those she [the crocodile] loveth. --Holland. 2. Violent hatred leading to active opposition; active enmity; energetic dislike. --Macaulay. Syn: Enmity; hatred; opposition. -- Animosity, Enmity. Enmity be dormant or concealed; animosity is active enmity, inflamed by collision and mutual injury between opposing parties. The animosities which were continually springing up among the clans in Scotland kept that kingdom in a state of turmoil and bloodshed for successive ages. The animosities which have been engendered among Christian sects have always been the reproach of the church. Such [writings] as naturally conduce to inflame hatreds and make enmities irreconcilable. --Spectator. [These] factions . . . never suspended their animosities till they ruined that unhappy government. --Hume.
U*nan"i*mous\, a. [L. unanimus, unanimus; unus one + animus mind: cf. F. unanime. See Unit, and Animate.]1. Being of one mind; agreeing in opinion, design, or determination; consentient; not discordant or dissentient; harmonious; as, the assembly was unanimous; the members of the council were unanimous. "Both in one faith unanimous." --Milton. 2. Formed with unanimity; indicating unanimity; having the agreement and consent of all; agreed upon without the opposition or contradiction of any; as, a unanimous opinion; a unanimous vote. -- U*nan"i*mous*ly, adv. -- U*nan"i*mous*ness, n.
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