📊 Key indicators ❤️ Essential organs

vitals

7 3.9

Organs that are essential for life, like the heart and lungs

noun
/ˈvaɪtəlz/

: órganos vitales

Before the surgery, the nurse checked the patient's vitals to ensure everything was stable.

Examples

So I can check your hand and arm and take your vitals and maybe put your fears to rest.
-WHAT ARE HIS VITALS?

Dirty (2016)
Let me check your vitals for you, doctor.
It's going to read all of your vitals right there.
The doctor measured the patient's vitals, including heart rate and blood pressure, to assess his health.
The emergency team worked quickly to stabilize her vitals after the accident.

Antonyms

nonessential

10 4.4

Not needed for something to work or be successful

Surface Forms

vitals singular

vitals plural

Morphology

vitals = vital (semi-transparent) = vital + s

Formed by the adjective 'vital' plus plural '-s'; the medical noun sense ('organs' or 'vital signs') is conventionalized and domain-specific, so the connection is clear but not fully predictable for all learners.

Etymology

The word vitals comes from the Latin word vita 'life', so vitals are the body parts you need to stay alive, like the heart and lungs.