animate thing

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Noun

animate thing - a living (or once living) entity

whole, unit - an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; "how big is that part compared to the whole?"; "the team is a unit"

organism, being - a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently

life - living things collectively; "the oceans are teeming with life"

biont - a discrete unit of living matter

cell - (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals

viability - (of living things) capable of normal growth and development

young, immature - (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth; "young people"

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References in classic literature ?

"Aside from seeing you, which is my principal reason for being here, and satisfying myself that I can transport inanimate things from Mars to Earth, and therefore animate things if I so desire, I have no purpose.

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That lane was as perverse as any in animate thing could be.

A contrary course: farm lane might have benefitted from modern engineering

He receives no encouragement from his family and his relatives who believe that drawing animate things is an act of blasphemy; they say that he is destined to burn in hell for drawing things only god can create.