vital

See also: Vital

English

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], borrowed from Old French vital, from Latin vītālis (“of life, life-giving”), from vīta (“life”), from vīvō (“I live”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: vī'təl, IPA^(key): /ˈvaɪtəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvaɪt̬əl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtəl

Adjective

vital (comparative more vital, superlative most vital)

1. Relating to, or characteristic of life.

   vital energies; vital functions; vital actions

   Synonym: lifely

2. Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends.

   The brain is a vital organ.

   • Spenser

     Do the heavens afford him vital food?

3. Invigorating or life-giving.
4. Necessary to continued existence.

   The transition to farming was vital for the creation of civilisation.

5. Relating to the recording of life events.

   Birth, marriage and death certificates are vital records.

6. Very important.

   It is vital that you don't forget to do your homework.

   • 2012 December 14, Simon Jenkins, “We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys”, in The Guardian Weekly‎^[1], volume 188, number 2, page 23:

     David Cameron insists that his latest communications data bill is “vital to counter terrorism”. Yet terror is mayhem. It is no threat to freedom. That threat is from counter-terror, from ministers capitulating to securocrats.

7. Containing life; living.
   • Milton

     spirits that live throughout, vital in every part

   • Alexander Pope

     The dart flew on, and pierced a vital part.

8. Capable of living; in a state to live; viable.
   • Sir Thomas Browne

     Pythagoras and Hippocrates […] affirm the birth of the seventh month to be vital.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• vital force

• vital organ

• vital signs

• vital statistics

Related terms

Terms related to vital

• devive
• revive

• survive
• viable

• vitality
• vivid

Antonyms

• mortal

Translations

relating to, or characteristic of life

• Arabic: أَسَاسِيّ‎‎ (ar) (ʾasāsiyy)
• Catalan: vital m, f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 生命的 (zh) (shēngmìng de)

• Dutch: essentieel (nl)
• Finnish: vitaalinen, elin-
• French: vital (fr)
• Galician: vital

• Italian: vitale (it)
• Korean: 생명의 (saengmyeong-ui)
• Latin: vītālis
• Norwegian: vital, livsviktig
• Portuguese: vital (pt)
• Russian: жи́зненный (ru) (žíznennyj)
• Spanish: vital (es)

necessary to the continuation of life

• Catalan: vital m, f
• Czech: životně důležitý
• Finnish: elintärkeä, elämälle välttämätön
• French: vital (fr)
• Galician: vital
• Georgian: სასიცოცხლო (sasicocxlo)
• German: lebenswichtig (de)

• Italian: vitale (it)
• Norwegian: livsoppholdende
• Portuguese: vital (pt)
• Russian: жи́зненно ва́жный (žíznenno vážnyj), насу́щный (ru) (nasúščnyj), необходи́мый (ru) (neobxodímyj)
• Spanish: vital (es)
• Swedish: livsviktig (sv)

invigorating or life-giving

• Catalan: vital m, f
• Finnish: elintärkeä
• Latin: vītālis

• Norwegian: livsoppholdende
• Russian: жи́вотво́рный (ru) (žívotvórnyj)

necessary to continued existence

• Catalan: vital m, f
• Czech: životně důležitý
• Finnish: elintärkeä

• German: lebenswichtig (de)
• Norwegian: livsviktig
• Russian: жи́зненно ва́жный (žíznenno vážnyj), насу́щный (ru) (nasúščnyj), необходи́мый (ru) (neobxodímyj)

relating to the recording of life events

• Catalan: vital m, f
• Finnish: elämäkerrallinen

• Norwegian: levende (no)
• Russian: демографи́ческий (ru) (demografíčeskij)

very important

• Catalan: vital m, f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 重要 (zh) (zhòngyào)

• Finnish: tärkeä (fi), olennainen (fi)
• French: vital (fr)
• Galician: vital
• Italian: vitale (it)

• Korean: 중요한 (Jung Yo-han)
• Maori: waiwai
• Norwegian: kjempeviktig
• Portuguese: vital (pt)
• Russian: жи́зненно ва́жный (žíznenno vážnyj), насу́щный (ru) (nasúščnyj), необходи́мый (ru) (neobxodímyj)
• Spanish: vital (es)

containing life — see living

capable of living

• Finnish: elinkelpoinen

Further reading

• vital in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• vital in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (masculine and feminine plural vitals)

1. vital

Related terms

• vida
• vitalitat

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vītālis (“of life, life-giving”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.tal/
• Homophones: vitale, vitales

Adjective

vital (feminine singular vitale, masculine plural vitaux, feminine plural vitales)

1. vital

Related terms

• vitalité
• vie

Further reading

• “vital” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vītālis (“of life, life-giving”).

Adjective

vital m, f (plural vitais)

1. vital (relating to, or characteristic of life)
2. vital, important, necessary

Related terms

• vida
• vitalidade

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German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vītālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /viˈtaːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

vital (comparative vitaler, superlative am vitalsten)

1. lively; hale; vigorous
2. (rather rare, formal) vital (necessary to, or characteristic of life)

Declension

Positive forms of vital

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist vital	sie ist vital	es ist vital	sie sind vital
strong declension (without article)	nominative	vitaler	vitale	vitales	vitale
	genitive	vitalen	vitaler	vitalen	vitaler
	dative	vitalem	vitaler	vitalem	vitalen
	accusative	vitalen	vitale	vitales	vitale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der vitale	die vitale	das vitale	die vitalen
	genitive	des vitalen	der vitalen	des vitalen	der vitalen
	dative	dem vitalen	der vitalen	dem vitalen	den vitalen
	accusative	den vitalen	die vitale	das vitale	die vitalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein vitaler	eine vitale	ein vitales	(keine) vitalen
	genitive	eines vitalen	einer vitalen	eines vitalen	(keiner) vitalen
	dative	einem vitalen	einer vitalen	einem vitalen	(keinen) vitalen
	accusative	einen vitalen	eine vitale	ein vitales	(keine) vitalen

Comparative forms of vital

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist vitaler	sie ist vitaler	es ist vitaler	sie sind vitaler
strong declension (without article)	nominative	vitalerer	vitalere	vitaleres	vitalere
	genitive	vitaleren	vitalerer	vitaleren	vitalerer
	dative	vitalerem	vitalerer	vitalerem	vitaleren
	accusative	vitaleren	vitalere	vitaleres	vitalere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der vitalere	die vitalere	das vitalere	die vitaleren
	genitive	des vitaleren	der vitaleren	des vitaleren	der vitaleren
	dative	dem vitaleren	der vitaleren	dem vitaleren	den vitaleren
	accusative	den vitaleren	die vitalere	das vitalere	die vitaleren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein vitalerer	eine vitalere	ein vitaleres	(keine) vitaleren
	genitive	eines vitaleren	einer vitaleren	eines vitaleren	(keiner) vitaleren
	dative	einem vitaleren	einer vitaleren	einem vitaleren	(keinen) vitaleren
	accusative	einen vitaleren	eine vitalere	ein vitaleres	(keine) vitaleren

Superlative forms of vital

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am vitalsten	sie ist am vitalsten	es ist am vitalsten	sie sind am vitalsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	vitalster	vitalste	vitalstes	vitalste
	genitive	vitalsten	vitalster	vitalsten	vitalster
	dative	vitalstem	vitalster	vitalstem	vitalsten
	accusative	vitalsten	vitalste	vitalstes	vitalste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der vitalste	die vitalste	das vitalste	die vitalsten
	genitive	des vitalsten	der vitalsten	des vitalsten	der vitalsten
	dative	dem vitalsten	der vitalsten	dem vitalsten	den vitalsten
	accusative	den vitalsten	die vitalste	das vitalste	die vitalsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein vitalster	eine vitalste	ein vitalstes	(keine) vitalsten
	genitive	eines vitalsten	einer vitalsten	eines vitalsten	(keiner) vitalsten
	dative	einem vitalsten	einer vitalsten	einem vitalsten	(keinen) vitalsten
	accusative	einen vitalsten	eine vitalste	ein vitalstes	(keine) vitalsten

Synonyms

• (lively): lebhaft; markig; rüstig; voller Leben
• (vital): lebenswichtig; Lebens-

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (neuter singular vitalt, definite singular and plural vitale)

1. vital

References

• “vital” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (neuter singular vitalt, definite singular and plural vitale)

1. vital

References

• “vital” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital m, f (plural vitais, comparable)

1. vital (relating to, or characteristic of life)
2. vital (necessary to the continuation of life)
3. vital (very important)

Synonyms

• (very important): crucial, fundamental, essencial

Related terms

• vida
• vitalidade

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (plural vitales)

1. vital

Related terms

• vitalidad
• vida

See also

• vivo