life principle
- noun
- Formal
:
principio vital
- I think this is the right way of life, the right life principle, and we have to implement it.
Examples
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Ancient Egyptians viewed the heart as the life principle that judged the soul after death.
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We use the life principle with Oksana.
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In numerous philosophical discussions, a life principle is considered essential for defining living entities.
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The concept of a life principle was central to many early biological theories about the essence of life.
Synonyms
5
8.8
An imagined energy that makes living things grow and move
An imagined life force thought to make living things grow and work
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun-noun composition 'life' (the phenomenon of living) + 'principle' (foundational rule) yields a straightforward meaning of an underlying rule or vital force governing living things, which is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows normal semantic combination, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun life principle comes from old ideas about a hidden force that makes living things move and feel. One popular story says people thought a special 'breath' or 'spirit' entered the body and started life, so the words life and principle named that force and life principle now means 'the force that makes something alive'.