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vital function

American

noun

Physiology.

any function of the body that is essential for life.

Etymology

Origin of vital function

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"This finding was never anticipated. Chemokine-driven locomotion is a vital function of the immune system, but a totally different function as compared to the J chain!"

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2024

But many lawmakers and scholars argue that earmarks fulfill a vital function of Congress, and help to grease the wheels of the legislative process by giving individuals members tangible reasons to negotiate spending deals.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2023

In many ways, celebrities perform a vital function, partly by providing material for the rest of us to dissect, praise, criticise and make into memes.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2022

With "The McCartney Legacy," the authors perform a vital function, affording readers with the first in-depth study of McCartney's transition from Beatle Paul into solo superstardom.

From Salon • Dec. 11, 2022

So far as man stands for anything, and is productive or originative at all, his entire vital function may be said to have to deal with maybes.

From The Will to Believe : and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by James, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023