belebte

Belebte is a German term used to designate the animate, living portion of reality, as opposed to unbelebte, the inanimate. It derives from beleben, meaning to enliven or animate, and can function as either an adjective or a noun (das Belebte) to refer collectively to living beings. In philosophical and historical scientific discourse, das Belebte denotes the realm of life, including plants, animals, and humans, whereas the unbelebte world comprises rocks, water, air, and other non-living matter. The distinction appears in broader discussions about the nature of life, vitality, and the difference between living and non-living phenomena. In everyday language, speakers usually prefer Lebewesen, Pflanze, Tier, or das Lebendige for concrete references to living things.

Usage and nuance: In philosophy, Belebte occurs in discussions of vitality, animism, or the boundary between life and non-life. In biology and ecology, Belebte is more of a stylistic or historical label rather than a technical term, with precise references such as Organismus, Lebewesen, Pflanze, or Tier being common. In linguistics and cognitive science, animacy is a semantic feature used to categorize entities, and Belebte can illustrate the concept of life or sentience in German texts. The related noun Belebtheit and the adjective belebt express liveliness or being alive, though these forms are less common in everyday speech.