ánima

• anima (reintegrationist)

Learned borrowing from Latin anima. Doublet of alma.

ánima f (plural ánimas)

1. soul, especially of the dead

   Synonym: alma

ánima f (plural ánimas)

1. Alternative spelling of anima

Borrowed from Latin anima. Compare alma, a doublet inherited from the same source.

• IPA^(key): /ˈanima/
• Rhymes: -anima
• Syllabification: á‧ni‧ma

ánima f (plural ánimas)

1. soul

   Synonym: alma

2. bore, calibre

• Feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like ánima take the singular definite article el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el ánima. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al ánima, del ánima.

These nouns also usually take the indefinite article un that is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una is also permitted): un ánima or una ánima. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).

However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) must be used: la mejor ánima, una buena ánima.

• If an adjective follows the noun, it must agree with the noun's gender regardless of the article used: el ánima única, un(a) ánima buena.
• In the plural, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (las, unas etc.) are always used.

• Highland Popoluca: a̱namaj
• Mezquital Otomi: animä
• Oluta Popoluca: a̱nima

• “ánima”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28