毎日読む英英辞典

え～っと、メールマガジンで取り上げたのは動物園でしたね。

そういえば、もう何年も動物園に行っていません。

水族館にいたっては10年以上行っていないような気が・・・。

ま、それはともかく、今日は動物園の説明文に出てきた animal を英英辞典で見てみましょう。

[animal]
a living creature such as a dog or cat, that is not an insect, plant, bird, fish, or person
(LDOCE)

An animal is a living creature such as a dog, lion, or rabbit, rather than a bird, fish, insect, or human being.
(COBUILD)

ということで、ひたすら具体例が並んでいて、面白くもなんともない説明文ですが、よく見ると animal に含まれるものが並んでいるわけではありませんね。

plant はもちろん、bird や fish も animal の中には含まれません。

となると、ちょっとこれらも英英辞典で見てみたくなりますよね。

[plant]
a living thing that has leaves and roots and grows in earth, especially one that is smaller than a tree
(LDOCE)

A plant is a living thing that grows in the earth and has a stem, leaves, and roots.
(COBUILD)

[bird]
a creature with wings and feathers that can usually fly. Many birds sing and build nests, and female birds lay eggs.
(LDOCE)

A bird is a creature with feathers and wings. Female birds lay eggs. Most birds can fly.
(COBUILD)

[fish]
an animal that lives in water, and uses its fins and tail to swim
(LDOCE)

A fish is a creature that lives in water and has a tail and fins. There are many different kinds of fish.
(COBUILD)

こうやってみると、bird や fish は creature ではあるけれども animal ではないっていうことですね。