different between vital vs needful

English

Etymology

From Middle English vital, from Old French vital, from Latin v?t?lis (“of life, life-giving”), from v?ta (“life”), from v?v? (“I live”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: v?'t?l, IPA^(key): /?va?t?l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?va?t??l/
• Rhymes: -a?t?l

Adjective

vital (comparative more vital, superlative most vital)

1. Relating to, or characteristic of life.

   Synonym: lifely

2. Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends.
3. Invigorating or life-giving.
4. Necessary to continued existence.

5. Relating to the recording of life events.

6. Very important.

   Synonyms: crucial, necessary, significant; see also Thesaurus:important
7. Containing life; living.

   Synonyms: extant, live, kicking; see also Thesaurus:alive
8. Capable of living; in a state to live; viable.

Derived terms

Related terms

Antonyms

• mortal

Translations

Further reading

• vital in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• vital in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /vi?tal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /bi?tal/

Adjective

vital (masculine and feminine plural vitals)

1. vital

Related terms

• vida
• vitalitat

French

Etymology

From Old French vital, from Latin v?t?lis (“of life, life-giving”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.tal/
• Homophones: vitale, vitales

Adjective

vital (feminine singular vitale, masculine plural vitaux, feminine plural vitales)

1. vital

Related terms

• vitalité
• vie

Further reading

• “vital” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Etymology

From Latin v?t?lis (“of life, life-giving”).

Adjective

vital m or f (plural vitais)

1. vital (relating to, or characteristic of life)
2. vital, important, necessary

Related terms

• vida
• vitalidade

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin v?t?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi?ta?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

vital (comparative vitaler, superlative am vitalsten)

1. lively; hale; vigorous
2. (rather rare, formal) vital (necessary to, or characteristic of life)

Declension

Synonyms

• (lively): lebhaft; markig; rüstig; voller Leben
• (vital): lebenswichtig; Lebens-

Interlingua

Adjective

vital (not comparable)

1. vital

Related terms

• vita

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (neuter singular vitalt, definite singular and plural vitale)

1. vital

References

• “vital” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (neuter singular vitalt, definite singular and plural vitale)

1. vital

References

• “vital” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin vitalis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /vi.?taw/

Adjective

vital m or f (plural vitais, comparable)

1. vital (relating to, or characteristic of life)
2. vital (necessary to the continuation of life)
3. vital (very important)

   Synonyms: crucial, fundamental, essencial

Related terms

• vida
• vitalidade

Romanian

Etymology

From French vital, from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital m or n (feminine singular vital?, masculine plural vitali, feminine and neuter plural vitale)

1. vital

Declension

Related terms

• vitalitate

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (plural vitales)

1. vital

Derived terms

Related terms

• vitalidad
• vida

See also

• vivo

English

Alternative forms

• nedefull, needfull

Etymology

From Middle English needeful, nedeful, from Old English n?odful (“necessary; earnest; zealous”). Equivalent to need +? -ful. Cognate with Dutch noodvol, German notvoll.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ni?df?l/
• Hyphenation: need?ful

Adjective

needful (comparative more needful, superlative most needful)

1. Needed; necessary; mandatory; requisite; indispensible.

   Antonym: needless

   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 5

     So I went to keep house with him at the Why Not? and my aunt sent down my bag of clothes, and would have made over to Elzevir the pittance that my father left for my keep, but he said it was not needful, and he would have none of it.

2. (archaic) Needy; in need.
   • 1860, Union Society of Savannah, Minutes of the Union Society (page 114)

     […] where his active benevolence was ever found in cheerful co-operation for the cause of the humble & needful orphan […]

Derived terms

• needfully
• needfulness

Noun

needful (plural needfuls)

1. (slang) Ready money; wherewithal.
2. (India, chiefly archaic in other dialects) Anything necessary or requisite.

Usage notes

Commonly found in phrases such as "kindly do the needful", which occurs commonly in Indian English but is held as archaic in other dialects. Global interactions between English speakers have to some extent led to these phrases being seen as stereotypical of Indian English and parodied by speakers of other dialects.

Derived terms

• do the needful

Anagrams

• Neufeld