Relating to the chemical processes essential to life; describing chemistry that sustains living organisms.
From 'chemico-' + 'vital' (from Latin vitalis 'of life'). Term reflects the 19th-century recognition that life depends on chemistry rather than mysterious vital forces.
When 19th-century scientists proved that chemicovital processes were just regular chemistry, not some special 'life force,' they killed vitalism and created modern biochemistry!
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