ppl. a. [f. prec. + -ED.] Commonly used as pa. pple. of vb. animate; but also as equivalent to adj. animate.
1. Endowed with life; living, alive. Animated Nature: that portion of Nature that is alive; the animal world.
1534. More, On the Passion, Wks. 1557, 1324/2. Thys is … not my deade body, but animated and lyuinge with my soule.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 608. It is a thing Animated or hauing a life of it owne.
1774. Goldsm. (title), History of the Earth and Animated Nature.
1784. Cowper, Task, I. 198. Nature inanimate employs sweet sounds, But animated nature sweeter still.
1858. R. Vaughan, Ess. & Rev., I. 34. The belief that the heavenly bodies were animated natures.
b. Peopled or ‘alive’ with living beings.
1827. Montgomery, Pelican Isl., II. 106. The expanse of animated waters.
c. fig. Of things vividly figured: Appearing alive.
1711. Pope, Temp. Fame, 73. Heroes in animated marble frown, And legislators seem to think in stone.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, VI. vi. 345. Mine are all animated pictures. See that cypress, waving from the breeze.
2. Full of the activity and motion of life; enlivened, quickened; spirited; lively, vivacious.
1585. Abp. Sandys, Serm. (1841), 63. The little cubs perhaps are animated by reason of their wiliness.
1708. Pope, St. Cecilia’s Day, 28. Warriors she fires with animated sounds.
1824. Dibdin, Libr. Comp., 99. Barbier’s animated and excellent account of it.
1855. Prescott, Philip II., I. II. x. 254. The discussion was animated.
1859. Reeve, Brittany, 236. The scene was one of the most animated we had met with.
3. Mentally moved or excited; inspired, actuated, incited, encouraged. (Now mostly participial.)
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 1557, 512/1. Anymated and instructed … with his owne spirite.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, II. V. iv. § 1. 502. They departed home rich, and well animated to returne agayne.
1660. Milton, Free Commw., 445. The Menaces, the Insultings of our newly animated common enemies.
1740. Somerville, Hobbinol, II. 194. Incens’d With animated Rage.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., 100. Desperate men, animated by the presence of two or three of the actors in the primate’s murder.
1850. Smiles, Self-Help, ii. 41. He worked … animated by the determination to excel.
† 4. Endowed with some active physical property. Obs.
1706. Phillips, Animated needle, is one touch’d with a Loadstone.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Animated mercury, quicksilver impregnated with some subtile and spirituous particles, so as to render it capable of growing hot when mingled with gold.
† 5. Pertaining to animated beings; animal. Obs.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., A system of animated pathology.
