inanimates

Inanimates refers to objects or substances that are not alive. The term derives from the adjective inanimate, describing things that lack life and the capacity for metabolism, growth, reproduction, or voluntary movement. When used as a plural noun, inanimates denotes non-living things collectively.

By definition, inanimate objects do not possess intrinsic life agency. They may move or change position due to external forces or human intervention, but they do not carry out life processes on their own.

Philosophically, animacy is sometimes treated as a spectrum rather than a binary distinction. Some theories discuss the attribution of agency or vitality to non-living things in linguistic, cultural, or religious contexts, a practice known as personification or anthropomorphism.

In everyday and scientific language, inanimate remains a practical label for studying matter, physics, chemistry, and materials science. In art and literature, inanimate objects can play symbolic roles or serve as subjects in still life compositions.

Common examples of inanimates include minerals, rocks, water, air, furniture, tools, and machines. Certain natural phenomena, such as lightning or weather patterns, are also described as inanimate in ordinary usage. The classification of life is subject to debate in biology, with some edge cases like viruses often discussed as borderline between living and non-living.