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

Example Sentences

The fossil comes from the famous "Dueling Dinosaurs" discovery in Montana, which preserved two creatures locked in ancient combat -- a Triceratops and a smaller-bodied tyrannosaur.

Read more on Science Daily

A field called swarm robotics is taking inspiration from ants, bees and even slime molds—simple creatures that achieve remarkable feats through collective intelligence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That unexpected encounter with the vibrant cobalt-blue creature led to the formal identification of a new species of Physalia.

Read more on Science Daily

This raises an important question: how can such small creatures with limited energy reserves survive by hunting large and rare prey, a tactic that usually requires tremendous effort and frequent failure?

Read more on Science Daily

Tawny owls, jays and even foxes have since been spotted among the monuments; many of these creatures are depicted in striking photographs taken by the author that pepper the text.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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