All 10 Uses of
animate
in
Wuthering Heights
- He exerted preterhuman self-denial in abstaining from finishing him completely; but getting out of breath, he finally desisted, and dragged the apparently inanimate body on to the settle.†
p. 129.6 *inanimate = not living; or (more rarely) not feeling or thinking (a plant--not an animal)standard prefix: The prefix "in-" in inanimate means not and reverses the meaning of animate. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- I, who had determined to hold myself independent of all social intercourse, and thanked my stars that, at length, I had lighted on a spot where it was next to impracticable — I, weak wretch, after maintaining till dusk a struggle with low spirits and solitude, was finally compelled to strike my colours; and under pretence of gaining information concerning the necessities of my establishment, I desired Mrs. Dean, when she brought in supper, to sit down while I ate it; hoping sincerely she would prove a regular gossip, and either rouse me to animation or lull me to sleep by her talk.†
p. 22.9
- 'Yes,' she answered; 'but he looked better when he was animated; that is his everyday countenance: he wanted spirit in general.'†
p. 47.1 *
- you are come, are you, Edgar Linton?' she said, with angry animation.†
p. 93.1
- Mr. Heathcliff having overheard the conversation, as well as I, smiled when he saw him go; but immediately afterwards cast a look of singular aversion on the flippant pair, who remained chattering in the door-way: the boy finding animation enough while discussing Hareton's faults and deficiencies, and relating anecdotes of his goings on; and the girl relishing his pert and spiteful sayings, without considering the ill-nature they evinced.†
p. 160.9
- Master Heathcliff received us with greater animation on this occasion: not the animation of high spirits though, nor yet of joy; it looked more like fear.†
p. 193.1
- Master Heathcliff received us with greater animation on this occasion: not the animation of high spirits though, nor yet of joy; it looked more like fear.†
p. 193.1
- The red fire-light glowed on their two bonny heads, and revealed their faces animated with the eager interest of children; for, though he was twenty-three and she eighteen, each had so much of novelty to feel and learn, that neither experienced nor evinced the sentiments of sober disenchanted maturity.†
p. 234.3
- You look uncommonly animated.'†
p. 238.6
- 'I'm animated with hunger; and, seemingly, I must not eat.'†
p. 238.6
Definitions:
-
(1)
(animate as in: animated by her strong belief) inspire, make more lively, or bring to life
-
(2)
(animate as in: an animated cartoon) make a moving cartoon (a film technique that uses a set of gradually changing pictures to simulate movement when played in series)
-
(3)
(animate as in: animate v. inanimate) alive; or (more rarely) an animal--not a plant; or (more rarely still) the degree to which as an animal feels and thinksThis sense of animate is typically contrasted with inanimate. The adjective animate describes something as being alive--such as a dog. The adjective inanimate describes something as not being alive--such as a rock.
Note that this sense of animate is pronounced differently than other senses. Most senses whether used as a noun or an adjective) rhyme with mate, but this sense rhymes more closely with mutt". -
(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, Linguists use the form animacy to describe whether (or the degree to which) a noun feels and thinks. It impacts grammar. For example, in English, "She moved" v. "It moved."