vigour

English

Alternative forms

• vigor (US)
• vygour (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English vigour, from Old French vigour, from vigor, from Latin vigor, from vigeō (“thrive, flourish”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be lively”).

Related to vigil, vegetable, vajra, and waker.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈvɪɡə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvɪɡɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡə(ɹ)

Noun

vigour (countable and uncountable, plural vigours)

1. Active strength or force of body or mind; capacity for exertion, physically, intellectually, or morally; energy.
   • 1717, John Dryden (tr.), Metamorphoses By Ovid‎^[1], Book the Twelfth:

     The vigour of this arm was never vain

2. (biology) Strength or force in animal or vegetable nature or action.

   A plant grows with vigour.

3. Strength; efficacy; potency.
   • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     But in the fruithful earth: there first receiv'd / His beams, unactive else, their vigour find.

Usage notes

Vigour and its derivatives commonly imply active strength, or the power of action and exertion, in distinction from passive strength, or strength to endure.

Derived terms

• envigorate
• vigorous
• hybrid vigor/hybrid vigour
• vim and vigour

Related terms

• vegetable
• vigil

Translations

active strength or force of body or mind; capacity for exertion, physically, intellectually, or morally; force; energy

• Azerbaijani: güc (az), şiddət, enerji (az)
• Bulgarian: енергия (bg) f (energija), сила (bg) f (sila)
• Czech: verva (cs) f, nasazení (cs) n, energie (cs) f, aktivita (cs) f, síla (cs) f
• Finnish: puhti (fi), ponsi (fi), voima (fi)
• French: force (fr) f, vigueur (fr) f
• Galician: vigor (gl) m
• Georgian: ძალა (ʒala), ენერგია (energia), მხნეობა (mxneoba)
• German: Ausdruckskraft, Energie (de), Leidenschaftlichkeit (de)
• Greek: σφρίγος (el) n (sfrígos)
• Latgalian: ognums m
• Latin: vigor m
• Latvian: spars m
• Maori: ngao
• Ottoman Turkish: قوت (kuvvet), درمان (derman)
• Polish: animusz (pl) m (literary), bigiel (pl) m (literary)
• Portuguese: vigor (pt) m
• Romanian: vigoare (ro) f, vitalitate (ro) f
• Russian: си́ла (ru) f (síla), эне́ргия (ru) f (enérgija)
• Sanskrit: वर्चस् (sa) n (varcas)
• Spanish: vigor (es), vivacidad (es) f
• Swedish: vigör (sv) c, kraft (sv) c
• Ukrainian: сила (uk) f (syla), енергія f (enerhija), енергійність f (enerhijnistʹ), снага f (snaha)

strength or force in animal or force in animal or vegetable nature or action; as, a plant grows with vigor

• Bulgarian: сила (bg) f (sila)
• Czech: síla (cs) f, verva (cs) f, energie (cs) f, chuť do života f, vitalita (cs) f
• Finnish: elinvoimaisuus (fi), tarmokkuus (fi)
• French: vigueur (fr) f
• Georgian: ძალა (ʒala), ენერგია (energia), მხნეობა (mxneoba)
• Romanian: putere (ro) f, forță (ro) f
• Spanish: vigor (es) m, lozanía (es) f

strength; efficacy; potency

• Bulgarian: енергичност (bg) (energičnost)
• Czech: síla (cs) f, energie (cs) f
• Finnish: tarmokkuus (fi), vahvuus (fi)
• French: force (fr) f, vigueur (fr) f, énergie (fr) f
• Georgian: ძალა (ʒala), ენერგია (energia), მხნეობა (mxneoba)
• Romanian: forță (ro) f, vigoare (ro) f, energie (ro) f
• Spanish: fuerza (es) f, energía (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese: 精力，生命力
• Czech: vitalita (cs) f
• Finnish: pontevuus (fi) (1), tarmo (fi) (1)

Old French

Noun

vigour oblique singular, m (oblique plural vigours, nominative singular vigours, nominative plural vigour)

1. Alternative form of vigur