emotional support animal

noun

plural emotional support animals

: a domesticated animal (such as a dog or cat) that provides comfort to a person with a mental health condition (such as depression or anxiety) but that does not have special training to perform specific assistive tasks

Unlike service animals, emotional support animals cannot go everywhere with their person. It's up to the individual establishment as to whether they'll allow them. The exceptions are housing and most air travel.

—Lisa Bloch

Emotional support animals aren't limited to just a few animal species. Martinelli said that while most emotional support animals are cats and dogs, some are less typical, ranging from rabbits to snakes.

—Andrew Bean

Note: Some government agencies (such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) have official definitions of emotional support animal that are more restrictive than the term's meaning in general English.

—abbreviation ESA compare service animal

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above