Vital

How to spell vital

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce vital

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does vital mean?

1. adjectiveAbsolutely necessary or extremely important for success, life, or existence.

Vital in a sentence

• The surgeon checked the patient's vital signs before the operation.

• Prompt payment is vital to keeping the supplier relationship healthy.

Where does vital come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin vitalis, meaning 'belonging to life' or 'life-giving', which was built on the noun vita, meaning simply 'life'. English borrowed it through Old French during the late 1300s, originally in medical and philosophical contexts to describe what was essential for staying alive, as in the 'vital spirits' once thought to animate the body. Over time the sense broadened from literally sustaining life to meaning generally crucial or indispensable, while keeping its earlier sense in phrases like 'vital signs' and 'vital organs'. The same vita root survives in everyday relatives such as 'vitamin' (a substance thought vital to life) and 'revitalise' (to bring back to life). The spelling stays close to the Latin source, with a single t and a long first vowel, which is why some writers wrongly double the consonant.

How the word is built

• vit- (from Latin vita: life)
• -al (adjective suffix: relating to)