# Personification and related figurative language

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personification-and-related-figurative-language/496847>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 18, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personification-and-related-figurative-language/496847 "2009-05-18T12:44:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RobinPilot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3be4f8/32.png) [@RobinPilot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobinPilot)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personification-and-related-figurative-language/496847/1 "2009-05-18T12:44:03Z")

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We are having a discussion about variant forms of metaphorical language. The question is:

can the term PERSONIFICATION be applied to a figure of speech where an inanimate object is given ANIMAL characteristics, (e.g. "The shoes purred on the pavement as . . . . ")?

The term ‘animalisation’ is not recognised.

Replies gratefully received.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/personification-and-related-figurative-language/496847/2 "2009-05-18T15:02:02Z")

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I assume you mean something that would be the analog of anthropomorphic, the “the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. …”

Anthropomorphic comes from the Greek words for human form. The Greek for animal form would be theriomorphic. Unfortunately, that word is already used.

> [@](#):
>
> conceived of as having the form of an animal: said of certain gods

There doesn’t appear to be a specific term for giving an inanimate object animal characteristics. I wouldn’t use personification because it’s too intimately bound up with humanness.

So I would switch from Greek to Latin and try animamorphic. That doesn’t already have a generally accepted definition and fits the animal form etymology.