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vital capacity

noun Physiology.

the greatest amount of air that can be forced from the lungs after maximum inhalation.

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Origin of vital capacity

First recorded in 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for vital capacity

vital capacity

noun

physiol the volume of air that can be exhaled from the lungs after the deepest possible breath has been taken: a measure of lung function
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for vital capacity

vital capacity

n.

The amount of air that can be forcibly expelled from the lungs following breathing in as deeply as possible.respiratory capacity
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for vital capacity

vital capacity

[vīt′l]

The maximum amount of air that can be expelled from the lungs after breathing in as deeply as possible.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.