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
- Relating to, or characteristic of life; Necessary...
Ancestry of “vital”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | vitalité | — |
| 2 | Latin | vitalitas | life, vitality |
| 3 | Latin | vītālis | of or pertaining to life; vital, life-giving |
| 4 | Latin | vīta | life |
| 5 | Latin | vīvō | to live |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | gʷīwō | live, be alive |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷíh₃weti | to live, to be alive |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |