Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The vital force hypothesized by Henri Bergson as a source of efficient causation and evolution in nature.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
life force or vital principle posited in the philosophy of Henri Bergson; any mysterious or creative vital principle.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[French : élan, ardor + vital, vital.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From French élan vital, coined by Henri Bergson.
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Examples
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chained_bear commented on the word élan vital
"German generals, for example, had decided to bleed France into submission by matching it death for death at Verdun, believing that Germany's greater population would leave it victorious. The French later replied with their own massive offensive, believing that their élan vital would triumph."
—John M. Barry, The Great Influenza (NY: Penguin Books, 2004), 119
February 14, 2009