anima

Meaning

Noun

• The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.
• The inner self (not the external persona) of a person that is in touch with the unconscious as opposed to the persona.
• The unconscious feminine aspect of a person.

Origin

• Borrowed from Latin anima, sometimes equivalent to animus, both from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁-; see animus. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄνεμος, Old English anda. More at onde.