Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vital” come from?

Vital comes from Old French vital, from Latin vitalis, an adjective formed with the suffix -alis from Latin vivo, meaning to live, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w-.

vital (English): Relating to, or characteristic of life; Necessary...

Definitions

  1. Relating to, or characteristic of life; Necessary...

Ancestry of “vital”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchvitalité—
2Latinvitalitaslife, vitality
3Latinvītālis—
4Latinvīta—
5Latinvīvō—
6Proto-Italicgʷīwōlive, be alive
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷíh₃wetito live, to be alive
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷih₃wósalive, living
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʷeih₃w-to live

Words derived from “vital”

  • vitality
  • vitally
  • revitalize
  • vitalism
  • vitalizing
  • revitalisation
  • vitalize
  • vitalistic
  • revitalise
  • vitalist
  • vitalization
  • nonvital
  • vitalise
  • devitalization
  • intravital
  • devitalize
  • Ryvita
  • supravital
  • unvital
  • vitalizer
  • revitalizer
  • neovitalism
  • vitalic
  • vitalistically
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- →