[Fr. ey-lahn vee-tal] 
| (esp. in Bergsonian philosophy) the creative force within an organism that is responsible for growth, change, and necessary or desirable adaptations. |
| élan vi·tal (vē-tāl') n. The vital force hypothesized by Henri Bergson as a source of efficient causation and evolution in nature. Also called life force. [French : élan, ardor + vital, vital.] |