Vitalistic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the belief that living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living matter due to a special life force or energy
2. Pertaining to the philosophical view that a distinct life force or vital energy differentiates living beings from inanimate entities
3. Connected to the doctrine asserting that living organisms possess a unique essence or driving force that distinguishes them from non-living matter

Etymology: Vitalistic is about as plain as English word-building gets: the adjective "vital" with the suffix "-istic" attached. The suffix comes through a long chain. Ancient Greek used "-istēs" to form agent nouns and "-istikos" to form adjectives from them, and Latin borrowed these as "-ista" and "-isticus". Old French passed them on, and Middle English took "-istic" in the same way, so the ending arrived in English by a route that touches Greek, Latin and French before reaching the language. Vital itself is the older half. It comes from Latin "vitalis", meaning "of life", from "vita", life. English has long used "vital" for things that keep a body or organism alive, and "vitalistic" builds on that sense. The adjective describes whatever is linked to vitalism, the belief that living things are animated by a force beyond physical and chemical processes.

Synonyms: lifegiving, life-affirming, animistic