Etymology

élan vital

Today it means: The life force or vital principle posited in the philosophy of Henri Bergson; any mysterious or creative vital principle. Full definition →

French élan vital
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The story

  1. French · borrowed fromélan vital“life force”
  2. English todayélan vital

An unadapted borrowing from French élan vital (“life force”, literally “vital impetus or force”), coined by Henri Bergson in 1907.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.