creature
noun
Creature — any living thing, regarded with wonder or tenderness
Definition
A living organism characterized by voluntary movement
In depth
A creature is, most simply, any animal, but the word carries a gentler, more wondering tone than 'beast' or 'brute,' often implying vulnerability, strangeness, or kinship rather than threat. It can describe the smallest insect or the largest whale with equal ease, and frequently extends, tenderly, to human beings themselves.
Origin
The word descends from Latin creatura, a created thing, rooted in creare, to create or bring into being. That theological origin — a creature is, etymologically, anything made by a creator — explains the word's persistent undertone of wonder, since to call something a creature is, however faintly, to acknowledge it as a deliberate work of creation rather than mere accident.
Usage examples
"The tide pool teemed with creatures she had never learned the names of, each one impossibly intricate."
"He looked at his newborn daughter and thought, with sudden clarity, what a strange and miraculous creature a human being is."
"The old fisherman spoke of the sea's creatures with something close to reverence."
How to use it
Creature is a wonderfully flexible word for nature writing, fantasy, and tender character description, since it suggests wonder without judgment and can be applied to humans without sounding diminishing, unlike 'beast' or 'brute.'
Related concepts
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