animal-free
|an-i-mal-free|
/ˈænɪməlˌfriː/
without animals
Etymology
'animal-free' originates from English, specifically the words 'animal' and 'free', where 'animal' ultimately comes from Latin 'animalis' (meaning 'a living being') and 'free' comes from Old English 'frēo' (meaning 'not subject to, exempt').
'animal' passed into English via Latin 'animalis' (and Old French/Middle English forms such as 'animel'), becoming modern English 'animal'; 'free' comes from Old English 'frēo' and evolved into modern 'free'. The compound pattern 'X-free' is a more recent productive formation in modern English (20th century onward) used to mean 'without X', leading to formations like 'animal-free'.
The elements originally meant 'living being' (animal) and 'not subject to' (free); over time the productive compound 'X-free' developed to explicitly mean 'without X', so 'animal-free' came to mean 'without animals or animal-derived inputs' in contemporary usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not containing, made from, or involving animals; produced without using animal products or animal testing (e.g., food, materials, or processes that exclude animals).
This brand offers an animal-free milk alternative made from oats.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/01 08:25