Vigorous

How to spell vigorous

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce vigorous

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does vigorous mean?

1. adjectiveFull of energy, strength, or forceful activity.

Vigorous in a sentence

• The coach led the team through a vigorous warm-up before the match.

• A vigorous debate over the budget filled the meeting room.

Where does vigorous come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin vigor, meaning 'liveliness', 'activity', or 'force', which in turn was built on the verb vigere, 'to be lively' or 'to thrive'. From vigor the Latin adjective vigorosus developed to describe something full of energy and strength. English borrowed the word through Old French vigoreus in the 1300s, keeping the sense of robust physical or mental energy. A useful spelling note hides in the family: the noun in British English is 'vigour' with a 'u', yet the adjective drops that 'u' to become 'vigorous', exactly as 'honour' yields 'honorary'. The shared root also survives in 'invigorate', which literally means to put liveliness back into someone.

How the word is built

• vigor- (from Latin vigor: liveliness, force)
• -ous (adjective suffix: full of)