animateness
|an-i-mate-ness|
/ˈænɪmət.nəs/
the quality of being alive or lively
Etymology
'animateness' originates from English, formed by adding the suffix '-ness' to 'animate,' which ultimately derives from Latin: the past participle 'animatus' of 'animare' and the noun 'anima,' where 'anima' meant 'breath, soul' and 'animare' meant 'to give life.'
'animatus' (Latin) > Early Modern English 'animate' (via Latin and scholarly borrowing); adding the English suffix '-ness' produced the abstract noun 'animateness' in modern English.
Initially, it meant 'the quality of being alive or endowed with life,' and later broadened to include 'liveliness of manner' as well as a technical linguistic sense of 'animacy.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being animate; having life or vital force.
The poem meditates on the animateness of nature in spring.
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Noun 2
liveliness or spiritedness in manner or appearance.
Her voice had an animateness that held the audience’s attention.
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Noun 3
in linguistics, the property by which nouns refer to living or sentient entities (contrasted with inanimateness).
In some languages, animateness influences case marking and agreement.
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Last updated: 2025/08/12 06:07