vigour

English

Alternative forms

• vigor (US)
• vygour (obsolete)

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  vigour, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French vigor, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin vigor, from vigeo (“thrive, flourish”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European.

Related to vigil, and more distantly compare vis and vital, from similar Proto-Indo-European roots and meanings (lively, power, life), via Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɪɡə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈvɪɡɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡə(ɹ)

Noun

vigour (countable and uncountable, plural vigours)

1. Active strength or force of body or mind; capacity for exertion, physically, intellectually, or morally; energy.
   • 1717, John Dryden (tr.), Metamorphoses By Ovid‎^[1], Book the Twelfth:

     The vigour of this arm was never vain

2. (biology) Strength or force in animal or vegetable nature or action.

   A plant grows with vigour.

3. Strength; efficacy; potency.
   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:

     But in the fruithful earth: there first receiv'd / His beams, unactive else, their vigour find.

Usage notes

Vigour and its derivatives commonly imply active strength, or the power of action and exertion, in distinction from passive strength, or strength to endure.

Derived terms

• envigorate
• vigorous
• hybrid vigor/hybrid vigour

Related terms

• vegetable
• vigil

Translations

active strength or force of body or mind; capacity for exertion, physically, intellectually, or morally; force; energy

• Bulgarian: енергия (bg) f (energija), сила (bg) f (sila)
• Czech: verva (cs) f, nasazení n, energie (cs) f, aktivita (cs) f, síla (cs) f
• Finnish: puhti, ponsi (fi), voima (fi)
• French: force (fr) f, vigueur (fr) f
• Galician: vigor (gl) m
• Georgian: ძალა (ʒala), ენერგია (energia), მხნეობა (mxneoba)
• German: Ausdruckskraft, Energie (de), Leidenschaftlichkeit
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latgalian: ognums m
• Latin: vigor m
• Latvian: spars m
• Maori: ngao
• Romanian: vigoare (ro) f, vitalitate (ro) f
• Russian: си́ла (ru) f (síla), эне́ргия (ru) f (enérgija)
• Swedish: vigör (sv) c, kraft (sv) c

strength or force in animal or force in animal or vegetable nature or action; as, a plant grows with vigor

• Bulgarian: сила (bg) f (sila)
• Czech: síla (cs) f, verva (cs) f, energie (cs) f, chuť do života f, vitalita (cs) f
• Finnish: elinvoimaisuus (fi), tarmokkuus (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: vigueur (fr) f
• Georgian: ძალა (ʒala), ენერგია (energia), მხნეობა (mxneoba)
• Romanian: putere (ro) f, forță (ro) f

strength; efficacy; potency

• Czech: síla (cs) f, energie (cs) f
• Finnish: tarmokkuus (fi), vahvuus (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: force (fr) f, vigueur (fr) f, énergie (fr) f
• Georgian: ძალა (ʒala), ენერგია (energia), მხნეობა (mxneoba)
• Romanian: forță (ro) f, vigoare (ro) f, energie (ro) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese: 精力，生命力
• Czech: vitalita (cs) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: pontevuus (1), tarmo (1)

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Old French

Noun

vigour oblique singular, m (oblique plural vigours, nominative singular vigours, nominative plural vigour)

1. Alternative form of vigur