ἔμψυχος, -ον animate (lit. „having life in one“)
(< ἐν + ψυχή)
„ἔμψυχος“ λέγεται ἀπὸ τῆς προθέσεως „ἐν“ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος „ψυχή“· ἔμψυχον γάρ ἐστιν ὃ ἔχει ψυχήν, τουτέστι· ὃ ζῇ καὶ κινεῖται καὶ πνεῖ. ἔνδοξος δ’ἐστὶ ὁ Πυθαγόρας ὃς ἀπεῖχε τῶν ἐμψύχων, τουτέστι· οὐκ ἤσθιε τὰ κρέατα. ἐνόμισε γὰρ ὅτι αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ζῴων τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων μετὰ τὸν θάνατον εἰς ἄλλο σῶμα μεταβάινουσιν· οὐκ οὖν ἐβούλετο βλάπτειν φίλον παλαιὸν ἐσθίων ζῷον τι. τούτου δὲ ἕνεκα πολλοὶ κατεγέλασν τοῦ Πυθαγόρου, οἷον ὁ Διογένης Λαέρτιος γράψας τοῦτο τὸ ἐπίγραμμα·
οὐ μόνος ἐμψύχων ἄπεχες χέρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς.
τίς γὰρ ὃς ἐμψύχων ἥψατο, Πυθαγόρη;
ἀλλ’ ὅταν ἑψηθῇ τι καὶ ὀπτηθῇ καὶ ἁλισθῇ,
δὴ τότε καὶ ψυχὴν οὐκ ἔχον ἐσθίομεν.
–Διογένης Λαέρτιος
The word „ἔμψυχος“ („animate“) is derived from the preposition „ἐν“ and the noun „ψυχή“. „ἔμψυχον“ is something that has life/a soul (ψυχή), i.e. something that lives and moves and breathes. Pythagoras is famous because he „abstained from living creatures“, i.e. he didn’t eat meat. For he believed that the souls of animals and humans after death migrate into another body: He, therefore, didn’t want to hurt an old friend by eating an animal. Because of this many people derided Pythagoras, like Diogenes Lartios who wrote the following epigram:
You are not the only one who abstains from (eating) living creatures („things that have a soul“), but we do, too:
For who has ever laid his hands on living creatures, Pythagoras?
Rather, when it is boiled and roasted and salted
and has no life („soul“) anymore, well… then we eat it.
– Diogenes Lartius