Added 9 October 2026
anima
/ˈænɪmə/ noun
Latin root: anima Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about anima at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
- The inner self (not the external persona) of a person that is in touch with the unconscious as opposed to the persona.
- The unconscious feminine aspect of a person.
Origin
Borrowed from Latin anima (“a current of air, wind, air, breath, the vital principle, life, soul”), sometimes equivalent to animus (“mind”), both from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe, blow”); see animus. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄνεμος (ánemos, “wind”), Old English anda (“anger, envy, zeal”). More at onde.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)