7 letters · 9 points in Scrabble
verb heighten or intensify
verb give lifelike qualities to
verb make lively
originFrom Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0