inanimate

Definition

Lacking the quality or ability of motion; as an inanimate object.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English inanimat(e), from Late Latin inanimātus, from Latin in- + animātus (“animated”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, in- + animate. The noun was derived by substantivization from the adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Example Sentences

• "The love of the inanimate is a general feeling. True, it makes no return of affection, neither does it disappoint it; its associations are from our thoughts and emotions."
• "Retired when her position was dissolved due to advances in inanimate automation."
• "I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body."