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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

animus.

The basic impulses and instincts which govern one's actions.

6 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈæ.nɪ.məs/
  1. The basic impulses and instincts which govern one's actions.

    uncountable · usually
  2. A feeling of enmity, animosity or ill will.

    uncountable · usually
  3. Intention, motivation (of a legal person).

    uncountable · usually
  4. The masculine aspect of the feminine psyche or personality.

    uncountable · usually
Where this word comes from

Learned borrowing from Latin animus (“the mind, in a great variety of meanings: the rational soul in man, intellect, consciousness, will, intention, courage, spirit, sensibility, feeling, passion, pride, vehemence, wrath, etc., the breath, life, soul”), from Proto-Italic *anamos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos, from *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe”). Closely related to Latin anima, which is a feminine form.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.