Definition of "Animate" :

verb: give new life or energy to

verb: make lively

verb: give lifelike qualities to

"Animated cartoons."

verb: heighten or intensify

adjective: endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness

adjective: endowed with animal life as distinguished from plant life

"We are animate beings."

adjective: belonging to the class of nouns that denote living beings

"The word dog' is animate."