animal
形容詞にしてみると相違がはっきりする。"animal" は動物的といっても必ずしもけなすわけではない。"animal" は中立だが "beast" は常に「けだもの」としていやしめる言葉。特に人間や天候に使う。"creature" は造物主の手になる生物すべてを指す。人間にも使う。
$ \mathrm{animal}^1
/ˈænɪml/
1 a creature that is not a bird, a fish, a reptile, an insect or a human
the animals and birds of South America
wild/farm animals
domestic animals such as dogs and cats
the export of live animals for slaughter
Fish oils are less saturated than animal fats.
a small furry animal
pack animals such as mules
The animals were fed only on pasture.
2 any living thing that is not a plant or a human
This product has not been tested on animals.
The workers were treated like animals.
In court he was banned from keeping animals.
cruelty to animals
animal welfare/cruelty
the animal kingdom
Most cloned animals die at a premature age.
animals bred in captivity
glass cases of stuffed animals
protesting against animal experiments
Animal rights groups are staging a protest against the fur trade this Saturday.
No animals were harmed in the making of this motion picture.
These birds perform a ritual which is unique in the animal kingdom.
3 any living creature, including humans
Humans are the only animals to have developed speech.
4 a person who behaves in a cruel or unpleasant way, or who is very dirty
The person who did this is an animal, a brute.
5 a particular type of person, thing, organization, etc.
She's not a political animal.
The government that followed the election was a very different animal.
$ \mathrm{animal}^2
/ˈænɪml/
relating to the physical needs and basic feelings of people
animal desires/passion/instincts
animal magnetism (= a quality in somebody that other people find attractive, usually in a sexual way)
Word Origin
Middle English: the noun from Latin animal, based on Latin animalis ‘having breath’ from anima, ‘breath’; the adjective via Old French from Latin animalis.