n.
Pronunciation: ' a-n ə -m ə l
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from animale, neuter of animalis animate, from anima soul ― more at ANIMATE
Date: 14th century
1 : any of a kingdom (Animalia) of living things including many-celled organisms and often many of the single-celled ones (as protozoans) that typically differ from plants in having cells without cellulose walls, in lacking chlorophyll and the capacity for photosynthesis, in requiring more complex food materials (as proteins), in being organized to a greater degree of complexity, and in having the capacity for spontaneous movement and rapid motor responses to stimulation
2 a : one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings b : MAMMAL broadly : VERTEBRATE
3 : a human being considered chiefly as physical or nonrational also : this nature
4 : a person with a particular interest or aptitude <a political animal >
5 : MATTER , THING <the theater ⋯ is an entirely different animal ― Arthur Miller> also : CREATURE 1C
– an · i · mal · like \ -m ə (l)- ˌ l ī k \ adjective