Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Creature
1.
Anything created; anything not self-existent; especially, any being created with life; an animal; a man.
He asked water, a
creature
so common and needful that it was against the law of nature to deny him. Fuller.
God’s first
creature
was light. Bacon.
On earth, join, all ye
Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.
creatures
, to extolHim first, him last, him midst, and without end.
Milton.
And most attractive is the fair result
Of thought, the
Of thought, the
creature
of a polished mind. Cowper.
2.
A human being, in pity, contempt, or endearment;
as, a poor
. creature
; a pretty creature
The world hath not a sweeter
creature
. Shakespeare
3.
A person who owes his rise and fortune to another; a servile dependent; an instrument; a tool.
A
creature
of the queen's, Lady Anne Bullen. Shakespeare
Both Charles himself and his
creature
, Laud. Macaulay.
4.
A general term among farmers for horses, oxen, etc.
Webster 1828 Edition
Creature
CREATURE
,Noun.
1.
That which is created; every being besides the Creator, or every thing not self-existent. The sun, moon and stars; the earth, animals, plants, light, darkness, air, water, &c., are the creatures of God.2.
In a restricted sense, an animal of any kind; a living being; a beast. In a more restricted sense, man. Thus we say, he was in trouble and no creature was present to aid him.3.
A human being, in contempt; as an idle creature; a poor creature; what a creature!4.
With words of endearment, it denotes a human being beloved; as a pretty creature; a sweet creature.5.
That which is produced, formed or imagined; as a creature of the imagination.6.
A person who owes his rise and fortune to another; one who is made to be what he is.Great princes thus, when favorites they raise, to justify their grace, their creatures praise.
7.
A dependent; a person who is subject to the will or influence of another.Definition 2024
creäture
creäture
English
Noun
creäture (plural creätures)
- (archaic, chiefly literary and philosophy) Alternative spelling of creature
Quotations
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:creäture.
Usage notes
- Unlike any of its related terms, creature has not retained the original syllabic break between the ‘e’ and the ‘a’ (as “cre·ature”), having instead undergone synæresis. For this reason, its original sense of “something created” is not always evident to those who hear its modern, disyllabic pronunciation.
- Some authors and translators (especially of poetical works) write a diæresis atop the ‘a’, thereby specifying the original trisyllabic pronunciation, either for metrical reasons in poetry, or to remind the listener or reader of the original meaning of creature.