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animal fancier

animal fancier

7.5
A person who keeps, breeds, shows, or judges animals, often as a hobby
  • noun
  • /ˈænɪməl ˈfænʃər/
translation icon : aficionado a los animales
  • As an animal fancier, she attends dog shows across the country every year.

Examples

  • The club was formed by a group of local animal fanciers interested in exotic birds.

  • Many animal fanciers spend years perfecting the traits of specific breeds.

  • She is a passionate animal fancier.

  • Many animal fanciers attend the annual pet show.

  • As an animal fancier, she dedicated her weekends to breeding exotic birds and attending shows.

  • The local fair featured competitions where animal fanciers showcased their prized pets.

  • Every year, the animal fanciers gather to exchange tips on care and training methods for their beloved animals.

How Involved

breeder
67 3.1
animal fancier
7.5
pet
754 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

animal + fancier

The noun is compositionally built from 'animal' (animals) and 'fancier' (an enthusiast or hobbyist), so the overall meaning — a person enthusiastic about animals, often breeding or showing them — is directly derivable from the parts. This follows a common modifier + head noun pattern found cross-linguistically, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Animal fancier comes from the older use of fancier, a person who 'fancies' or 'likes' something, so it literally meant someone who liked animals. So today an animal fancier is someone who owns, breeds, shows, or cares for animals as a hobby or job.