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anime

noun
SayAN-i-may/ˈæn.ɪ.meɪ/UK/ˈænɪmeɪ/

Pluralanime, animes

4 meanings of anime

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable
    An animated show or movie made in Japan, no matter what drawing style it uses.

    My favorite anime is a Japanese show about a girl who can talk to cats.

    We watched three anime from Japan over the weekend.

    Note
  2. 2
    noununcountable
    A style of drawing that comes from Japanese cartoons and is sometimes used by cartoons from other countries.

    Can you draw me as an anime character?

    The cartoon was made in France, but it is drawn in anime style.

    Note
  3. 3
    nounnonstandardcountable
    Any cartoon show or movie, from any country.

    Grandpa calls every cartoon an anime, even the old ones he watched as a boy.

    "That French anime about the snail was the best part of the film festival," said Leo.

    Similarcartoon, animation

    Note
  4. 4
    noununcountable
    Another spelling of animé, the resin of a tree called the courbaril.

    This old varnish was made with anime from the courbaril tree.

    The shop sells lumps of anime for people who make their own varnish.

    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–3

It comes from the Japanese word anime, a short form of the Japanese word for 'animation', which was borrowed from English.

Meaning 4

It may come from the French word animé, meaning 'animated', because of the insects trapped inside it, or it may be a local native name.