creature

[kree-cher]

noun

1. an animal, especially a nonhuman.

   the creatures of the woods and fields; a creature from outer space.

2. anything created, whether animate or inanimate.

3. person; human being.

   She is a charming creature. The driver of a bus is sometimes an irritable creature.

4. an animate being.

5. a person whose position or fortune is owed to someone or something and who continues under the control or influence of that person or thing.

   The cardinal was a creature of Louis XI.

6. Scot. and Older U.S. Use.,  Usually the creature intoxicating liquor, especially whiskey.

   He drinks a bit of the creature before bedtime.

creature

/ ˈkriːtʃə /

noun

1. a living being, esp an animal

2. something that has been created, whether animate or inanimate

   a creature of the imagination

3. a human being; person: used as a term of scorn, pity, or endearment

4. a person who is dependent upon another; tool or puppet

Other Word Forms

• creatureliness noun
• creatural adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of creature¹

First recorded before 1250–1300; Middle English creature, from Late Latin creātūra “act of creating”; create, -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of creature¹

C13: from Church Latin crēatūra, from Latin crēare to create

Related Words

• animal 
• critter 
• fellow 
• individual 
• living thing www.thesaurus.com
• man 
• person 
• soul 
• woman