Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. animal, animate being, beast, brute, creature, fauna(adj)

   a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

2. animal(a), carnal, fleshly, sensual(adj)

   marked by the appetites and passions of the body

   "animal instincts"; "carnal knowledge"; "fleshly desire"; "a sensual delight in eating"; "music is the only sensual pleasure without vice"

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Animal(noun)

   an organized living being endowed with sensation and the power of voluntary motion, and also characterized by taking its food into an internal cavity or stomach for digestion; by giving carbonic acid to the air and taking oxygen in the process of respiration; and by increasing in motive power or active aggressive force with progress to maturity

2. Animal(noun)

   one of the lower animals; a brute or beast, as distinguished from man; as, men and animals

3. Animal(adj)

   of or relating to animals; as, animal functions

4. Animal(adj)

   pertaining to the merely sentient part of a creature, as distinguished from the intellectual, rational, or spiritual part; as, the animal passions or appetites

5. Animal(adj)

   consisting of the flesh of animals; as, animal food

Origin: [L., fr. anima breath, soul: cf. F. animal. See Animate.]

Freebase(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Animal

   Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. All animals must ingest other organisms or their products for sustenance. Most known animal phyla appeared in the fossil record as marine species during the Cambrian explosion, about 542 million years ago. Animals are divided into various sub-groups, including birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Animal

   an′im-al, n. an organised being, having life, sensation, and voluntary motion—it is distinguished from a plant, which is organised and has life, but not sensation or voluntary motion: the name sometimes implies the absence of the higher faculties peculiar to man.—adj. of or belonging to animals: sensual.—n. Animalisā′tion, the act of converting into animal substance, or of endowing with animal attributes: brutalisation.—v.t. An′imalise, to endow with animal life: to convert into animal matter:—pr.p. an′imalīsing; pa.p. an′imalīsed.—n. An′imalism, the state of being actuated by animal appetites only: the exercise or enjoyment of animal life, as distinct from intellectual: brutishness: sensuality: (rare) a mere animal being.—adv. An′imally, physically merely.—Animal spirits, nervous force: exuberance of health and life: cheerful buoyancy of temper: (Milton) the spirit or principle of volition and sensation. [L.—anima, air, life, Gr. anemos, wind—aō, aēmi, Sans. an, to breathe, to blow.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. animal

   Song lyrics by animal -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by animal on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'animal' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1540

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'animal' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2357

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'animal' in Nouns Frequency: #259

Anagrams for animal »

1. Aminal

2. Lamina

3. Maalin

4. Malian

5. Manila

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of animal in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of animal in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Fran Lebowitz:

   Favorite animal: steak.

2. F. Nietzsche:

   Man is the cruelest animal.

3. Dean Adermann:

   Leave the poor animal alone.

4. Fran Lebowitz:

   My favorite animal is steak.

5. Adam Smith:

   Man, an animal that makes bargains.

Images & Illustrations of animal