# creature

Pronunciation: US say "KREE-chur" /ˈkɹi.tʃəɹ/; UK say "KREE-chuh" /ˈkɹiː.tʃə/

## Noun

1. Any living being, including an animal, a monster, or an alien.
   - Simple: A living thing, like an animal, monster, or alien.
   - _Scientists discovered a deep-sea creature unlike anything in their records._
   - _Children's books are full of friendly creatures who talk and sing._
2. A mysterious, often monstrous animal or being whose identity is unknown.
   - Simple: A strange, scary animal that nobody can name or explain.
   - _Witnesses described the creature as a towering, shadowy figure with glowing eyes._
   - _Local folklore tells of a creature haunting the misty woods at night._
3. A contemptuous or pitying term for a person.
   - Simple: An unkind word for a person, often someone seen as low or pitiful.
   - _What a vile creature he turned out to be, lying to everyone who trusted him._
   - _The landlord was a greedy creature who cared nothing for his tenants._
4. A person or entity that is subservient to another or depends on another.
   - Simple: A person or thing that depends on someone else or is controlled by them.
   - _The minister was widely seen as a creature of the prime minister, doing whatever he was told._
   - _She refused to become a creature of the men who funded her campaign._

## Noun

5. Something that has been created, whether living or not; a creation. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Anything that has been made or created, living or not.
   - _The sermon described humankind as the noblest creature in all creation._
   - _Every creature, from the mountains to mortals, was held to reflect its maker._

## Origin

From Middle English creature, originally meaning "a created thing", borrowed via Old French creature (also criature) from Latin creātūra, from creō. It is a doublet of craythur and critter, and it displaced the native Old English word ġesċeaft.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/creature (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).