n.
The vital force hypothesized by Henri Bergson as a source of efficient causation and evolution in nature. Also called life force.
[French : élan, ardor + vital, vital.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
