Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to breathe."

It forms all or part of: anemo-; anemometer; anemone; anima; animadversion; animadvert; animal; animalcule; animalistic; animate; animation; animatronic; anime; animism; animosity; animus; Enid; equanimity; longanimity; magnanimous; pusillanimous; unanimous.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit aniti "breathes;" Greek anemos "wind;" Latin animus "rational soul, mind, life, mental powers, consciousness, sensibility; courage, desire," anima "living being, soul, mind, disposition, passion, courage, anger, spirit, feeling;" Old Irish anal, Welsh anadl "breath," Old Irish animm "soul;" Gothic uzanan "to exhale," Old Norse anda "to breathe," Old English eðian "to breathe;" Old Church Slavonic vonja "smell, breath;" Armenian anjn "soul."

1530s, "temporarily deprived of privilege," past-participle adjective from suspend. The general meaning "interrupted, temporarily stopped" is by 1782, in suspended animation "state of temporary insensibility." The meaning "hung from something" is by 1796. In law, suspended sentence, for one imposed but (on condition) not carried out, is so called by 1833.

"pertaining to or involving robotics that realistically imitate living things," 1962 (in Walt Disney's audio-animatronic), from animation + electronics. Related: Animatronics.

c. 1985, Japanese for "animation," a word that seems to have arisen in Japan in the 1970s, said in Japanese sources to be an abbreviation of English animation.

Manga (q.v.) is Japanese for "comic book, graphic novel," but anime largely are based on manga and until 1970s, anime were known in Japan as manga eiga or "TV manga." The two terms are somewhat confused in English.

early 15c., "without vital force, having lost life," from Late Latin inanimatus "lifeless," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + animatus (see animation). The Latin word closest corresponding in form and sense is inanimalis. Meaning "lacking vivacity, without spirit, dull" is from 1734. Inanimate as a verb meant "infuse with life or vigor" (17c.), from the other in- (see in- (2)).

also re-animation, "reviving from apparent death; act or action of giving fresh spirits or vigor," 1777, from re- "back, again" + animation or else a noun formed to go with reanimate (v.).