In a way that is extremely important or necessary for survival; critically or essentially.
From Latin 'vitalis' (relating to life), derived from 'vita' (life), with the adverbial suffix '-ly.' The word emphasizes something's essential nature.
The root 'vita' (life) appears in hundreds of English words—'vital,' 'vitamin,' 'revitalize'—all connecting back to that primal human concern: what keeps us alive? Medieval alchemists literally called the energy sustaining life 'vital spirit,' thinking it was a physical substance.
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