Third-person singular present tense of animate; gives life, movement, spirit, or purpose to something.
From animate (verb, from Latin animatus/animare) + -s (third-person singular present suffix). In English, regular verbs form third-person present by adding -s or -es to the base form.
The word 'animates' appears frequently in philosophy and science—'what animates matter?' or 'the desire that animates her actions'—showing how the idea of something having an inner driving force remains central to how we explain motivation and life.
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