| the greatest amount of air that can be forced from the lungs after maximum inhalation. |

| vital capacity n. The amount of air that can be forcibly expelled from the lungs after breathing in as deeply as possible. |
vital capacity n.
Abbr. VC
The amount of air that can be forcibly expelled from the lungs following breathing in as deeply as possible. Also called respiratory capacity.
| vital capacity (vīt'l) Pronunciation Key
The maximum amount of air that can be expelled from the lungs after breathing in as deeply as possible. |