vitals

[vahyt-lz]

plural noun

1. those bodily organs that are essential to life, as the brain, heart, liver, lungs, and stomach.

2. the essential parts of something.

   the vitals of a democracy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vitals¹

1600–10; translation of Latin vītālia; vital

Example Sentences

I’m a health-conscious person who uses wearables to continuously monitor my vitals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He told his Instagram followers that after the line-up announcement last week, his problems had "manifested physically" for the first time and had caused "a spike in my vitals as an area of concern".

Read more on BBC

To be clear, mind reading isn’t one of the cyborg’s features, although part of its job as a security unit is to monitor its human clients’ vitals.

Read more on Salon

Olusanya spent about 30 minutes preparing for the 3 p.m. appointment, assembling equipment to draw blood, collect a urine sample and check the patient’s vitals and glucose levels.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Shalom added Eubank is undergoing "precautionary checks to monitor his vitals and ensure everything is in order".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• essential 
• fundamental 
• obligation 
• precondition 
• prerequisite 
• requirement 
• urgency