Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference - vital

adj. & n. --adj. 1 of, concerned with, or essential to organic life (vital functions). 2 essential to the existence of a thing or to the matter in hand (a vital question; secrecy is vital). 3 full of life or activity. 4 affecting life. 5 fatal to life or to success etc. (a vital error). 6 disp. important. --n. (in pl.) the body's vital organs, e.g. the heart and brain. Phrases and idioms vital capacity the volume of air that can be expelled from the lungs after taking the deepest possible breath. vital force 1 (in Bergson's philosophy) life-force. 2 any mysterious vital principle. vital power the power to sustain life. vital statistics 1 the number of births, marriages, deaths, etc. 2 colloq. the measurements of a woman's bust, waist, and hips. Derivatives vitally adv. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L vitalis f. vita life