vital sign
41
2.4
- noun
- /ˈvaɪtəl saɪn/
- Specialized
:
signo vital
- Monitoring vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure is essential in emergencies.
- take vital signs
- patient's vital signs
- vital signs were normal
So we laid her down real quick, took her vital signs, bro heart like a like like a bull, like just boom, boom, but just fine.
- So we laid her down real quick, took her vital signs, bro heart like a like like a bull, like just boom, boom, but just fine.
- This is my vital sign, and I see it as a window into digestive health.
Examples
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On admission, her vital signs were normal, and she had a low-grade fever.
Academic text (2007) -
We've been monitoring your vital signs.
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His vital signs are good.
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Immediately one of the little girls began to fail. Her vital signs started to drop
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His mouth kept moving; she checked his vital signs; they were very bad.
Fiction book (1994) -
I want to be informed when her vital signs change.
Fiction book (1992) -
Please inform us of the patient's condition and his vital signs.
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In either case, vital signs should be monitored throughout the episode.
Academic text (2004) -
He's lost a lot of blood, but his vital signs are good.
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On examination, his vital signs were found to be normal and his abdomen was soft.
Academic text (2010)
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a key indicator of health or performance' is directly derivable from combining 'vital' (essential, necessary) with 'sign' (an indicator or signal). This adjective+noun composition follows standard compositional patterns and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun vital sign comes from doctors looking at things like heart rate, temperature, and breathing to see if a person is alive. The word vital means 'life' and sign is something you can measure, so these checks show a person's 'health'.