English → Latin
“animal” in Latin
animalanimal; living creatureanimōto fill with breath or air; to animate, quicken; to refresh, revivebēstiaa beastbēluabeast, monster; brutepecusA group of large domestic animals: a herd of cattle, horses, or donkeys; such animals in a collective sense: cattle and ūduswetanimansA living thing or creature, an animal (as opposed to plants; as opposed to a man)feruswild, savage, fierce, cruel; uncivilized, uncultivated; untamed, roughignisfire; beacon, signal by firevītalife; living, support, subsistence; a way of life
The English word animal itself goes back to Latin animus, through animālis.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
animal
animal, animans (any living creature; animal, as belonging by nature to the class of living creatures; animans, as being now alive. The gender of animans is determined by the subject of which it is supposed to be spoken; hence plur. animantia or animantes): bestia (irrational animal; opposed to homo): belua (a great unwieldy animal; as elephant, lion, tiger; whale, and other sea-monsters. In Cic.., 2, N.D., 12, 9, for bestia): pecus, udis, feminine (domestic animals-bullock, sheep, etc.; opposed to belua, fera): a wild animal, bestia fera or fera only (opposed to cicur or pecus): belua fera (of one of the class described under belua, living in a wild state; opposed to pecus): belua silvestris (opposed to belua agrestis, dwelling in forests). To paint animals very well, prosperrime bestias exprimere (after Plin., 35, 11, 40, §133). The animal creation, genus animalium or bestiarum; genus animantium; animalia.
A stupid animal, pecus (udis).
animal
as adjective, animalis (endowed with life).
Belonging to living creatures: by genitive, animantium. Animal fire, ignis, qui est in corporibus animantium. Animal life, vita, quae spiritu et corpore continetur.
Peculiar to the brute creation: by genilite, beluarum or pecudum (beluinus, bestialis not found in classical prose; e.g., animal instinct, beluarum or pecudum ritus). ImPROP., gross, sensual, etc.: by genitive corporis. Animal pleasures, lusts, etc., corporis voluptates, libidines.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for animal?
- The usual Latin words for “animal” are animal, animō, bēstia; also bēlua, pecus, ūdus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.