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Origin and history of anime

anime(n.)

c. 1985, Japanese for "animation," a word that seems to have arisen in Japan in the 1970s, said in Japanese sources to be an abbreviation of English animation.

Manga (q.v.) is Japanese for "comic book, graphic novel," but anime largely are based on manga and until 1970s, anime were known in Japan as manga eiga or "TV manga." The two terms are somewhat confused in English.

also from c. 1985

Entries linking to anime

animation(n.)

1590s, "action of imparting life" (a sense now obsolete), from Latin animationem (nominative animatio) "an animating," noun of action from past-participle stem of animare "give breath to," also "to endow with a particular spirit, to give courage to, enliven," from anima "life, breath" (from PIE root *ane- "to breathe").

The meaning "vitality, appearance of activity or life" is from 1610s (the sense in suspended animation, for which see suspended). The cinematographic sense, "production of moving cartoon pictures" is from 1912.

manga(n.)

"Japanese comic books or graphic novels," c. 1984, from Japanese, "cartoon, caricature," literally "involuntary pictures." A term said to have been coined 1814 by artist Katsushika Hokusai to "convey a sense of free-flowing composition and quirky style." Also see anime.

*ane-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to breathe."

It might form all or part of: anemo-; anemometer; anemone; anima; animadversion; animadvert; animal; animalcule; animalistic; animate; animation; animatronic; anime; animism; animosity; animus; Enid; equanimity; longanimity; magnanimous; pusillanimous; unanimous.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit aniti "breathes;" Greek anemos "wind;" Latin animus "rational soul, mind, life, mental powers, consciousness, sensibility; courage, desire," anima "living being, soul, mind, disposition, passion, courage, anger, spirit, feeling;" Old Irish anal, Welsh anadl "breath," Old Irish animm "soul;" Gothic uzanan "to exhale," Old Norse anda "to breathe," Old English eðian "to breathe;" Old Church Slavonic vonja "smell, breath;" Armenian anjn "soul."

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    decision
    mid-15c., "act of deciding," from Old French décision (14c.), from Latin decisionem (nominative decisio) "a decision, settlement, agreement," noun of action from past-participle stem of decidere "to decide, determine," literally "to cut off," from de "off" (see de-) + caedere "to
    contrive
    early 14c., controve, contreve, "to invent, devise, plan;" late 14c., "to manage by a plan or scheme," from Old French controver (Modern French controuver) "to find out, contrive, imagine," from Late Latin contropare "to compare" (via a figure of speech), from an assimilated form
    ink
    "the black liquor with which men write" [Johnson], mid-13c., inke, from Old French enche, encre "dark writing fluid" (12c.), earlier enque (11c.), originally enca, from a shortening of Late Latin encaustum, from Late Greek enkauston. This is the neuter of the past-participle adje
    proper
    c. 1300, propre, "adapted to some purpose, fit, apt; commendable, excellent" (sometimes ironic), from Old French propre "own, particular; exact, neat, fitting, appropriate" (11c.) and directly from Latin proprius "one's own, particular to itself," from pro privo "for the individu
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    "scene of mad confusion," 1660s, from colloquial pronunciation of Bethlehem, short for "Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem" in London, which was founded 1247 as a priory, mentioned as a hospital by 1330 and as a lunatic hospital by 1402. It was converted to a civic lunatic asylu
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    1540s, "follower or attendant of a superior person" (but rare in this sense before late 18c.), from French satellite (14c.), from Latin satellitem (nominative satelles)  "an attendant" upon a distinguished person; "a body-guard, a courtier; an assistant," in Cicero often in
    alien
    c. 1300, "strange, foreign," from Old French alien "strange, foreign;" as a noun, "an alien, stranger, foreigner," from Latin alienus "of or belonging to another, not one's own, foreign, strange," also, as a noun, "a stranger, foreigner," adjective from alius (adv.) "another, oth
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    1570s, "a fact directly observed, a thing that appears or is perceived, an occurrence," especially a regular kind of fact observed on certain kinds of occasions, from Late Latin phænomenon, from Greek phainomenon "that which appears or is seen," noun use of neuter present partici
    bootstrap
    also boot-strap, tab or loop at the back of the top of a men's boot, which the wearer hooked a finger through to pull the boots on, 1870, from boot (n.1) + strap (n.). To pull (oneself) up by (one's) bootstraps, by 1871, was used figuratively of an impossible task (among the "pra

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