exanimate

English

WOTD – 26 September 2011, 26 September 2012, 26 September 2013, 26 September 2014

Etymology

From Latin exanimātus, perfect passive participle of exanimō (see ex-, -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin ex- + animō, from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

Adjective

• IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzænɪmɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Verb

• IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzænɪmeɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Adjective

exanimate (comparative more exanimate, superlative most exanimate)

1. Lifeless, not or no longer living, dead.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7:

     carckasses exanimate

2. Spiritless, dispirited, disheartened, not lively.
   • a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:

     Pale […] wretch, exanimate by love.

Synonyms

• (dispirited): dejected

Related terms

• animate
• exanimation

Translations

lifeless; dead

Armenian: անկենդան (hy) (ankendan), անկյանք (hy) (ankyankʻ), մեռած (hy) (meṙac), անշունչ (hy) (anšunčʻ) Old Armenian: անշունչ (anšunčʻ), մեռեալ (meṙeal), անկենդան (ankendan) Bulgarian: безжизнен (bg) (bezžiznen) Danish: livløs, død (da) Dutch: levenloos (nl), levensloos (nl), dood (nl), doods (nl), ontzield (nl) Finnish: hengetön (fi), eloton (fi) French: sans vie (fr), mort (fr) German: leblos (de), tot (de), entseelt Italian: morto (it), privo di vita (it) Korean: 죽은 (jug-eun) Norwegian: Bokmål: livløs, livlaus, død (no) Nynorsk: livlaus, død Portuguese: exânime Russian: бездыха́нный (ru) (bezdyxánnyj), мёртвый (ru) (mjórtvyj) Spanish: exánime (es), inanimado (es) Swedish: livlös (sv)

spiritless, dispirited, disheartened, not lively

Armenian: վհատ (hy) (vhat), ընկճված (hy) (ənkčvac) Old Armenian: սրտաթափ (srtatʻapʻ), ոգեսպառ (ogespaṙ), պակուցեալ (pakucʻeal) Bulgarian: вял (bg) (vjal), обезсърчен (bg) (obezsǎrčen) Dutch: lusteloos (nl), mat (nl) Finnish: hengetön (fi) French: déprimé (fr), découragé (fr) German: lustlos (de) Italian: esanime (it), inanimato (it) Portuguese: desanimado (pt) Russian: безжи́зненный (ru) (bezžíznennyj), вя́лый (ru) (vjályj), сла́бый (ru) (slábyj), ту́склый (ru) (túsklyj) Spanish: desanimado (es)

Verb

exanimate (third-person singular simple present exanimates, present participle exanimating, simple past and past participle exanimated)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To deprive of animation or of life.

Anagrams

• examinate, metaxenia

Latin

Verb

exanimāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of exanimō