English
animagus
Coined by J.
Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- ‘to breathe’
…
Latin animālis
Latin animal
Old French animal
Middle English animal ‘an animal’
English animal
Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- ‘to be able’
…
Proto-Iranian *magúš
Old Persian Old Persian form ‘Mazdean priest’
Ancient Greek μάγος ‘magician’
Latin magus ‘magic, magical’
English magus
The story
Coined by J. Rowling for her Harry Potter series as a blend of animal + magus. Term is introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999).
Today it means
noun A person who can transform into an animal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / animagus