English
animus
Animus comes from Latin animus ‘the mind, in a great variety of meanings: the…’, from Proto-Italic *anamos ‘breath’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-‘to breathe’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos‘breath’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamos‘breath’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimus‘the mind, in a great variety of meanings: the rational soul in man, intellect’
- Englishearliest quotation 1981same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-‘to breathe’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos‘breath’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*anamos‘breath’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEanimus‘the mind, in a great variety of meanings: the rational soul in man, intellect’
- Englishearliest quotation 1981same form
Earliest quotation: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology: “In the Jungian model of the psyche, the male…”
The story
Closely related to Latin anima, which is a feminine form.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- ‘to breathe’
and, asthma, inhale, exhalation, prana, onde, anima, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos ‘breath’
through Latin animus ‘the mind, in a great variety of meanings: the…’
animal, anime, unanimously, unanimous, animosity, animate, animator, 11 more
Today it means
noun The basic impulses and instincts which govern one's actions.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- / animus