Meaning of élan vital | Babel Free

Definitions

The life force or vital principle posited in the philosophy of Henri Bergson; any mysterious or creative vital principle.

uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Progress was a labyrinth. . . people plunging blindly in and then rushing wildly back, shouting that they had found it. . . the invisible king—the élan vital—the principle of evolution. . .”

“She turned astonished blue eyes towards Mr. Wimbush, then let them fall on to the seething mass of élan vital that fermented in the sty.”

“Electricity! the force of the future—for everything, you know, including the élan vital itself, will soon be proven electrical in nature.”

CEFR level