Eluvõime

Eluvõime is an Estonian noun formed from elu, meaning life, and võime, meaning ability or capacity. The term does not correspond to a single, standardized scientific concept in Estonian; its meaning varies with context and is often used descriptively rather than as an exact metric.

In biological and medical contexts, eluvõime is used informally to refer to an organism’s vitality or resilience—the capacity to withstand stress, recover from illness, or maintain essential functions under adverse conditions. It is not a formal clinical measurement in the way that a defined biomarker or test score might be, and its interpretation is often metaphorical in popular or non-specialist texts.

In philosophy, spirituality, and popular discourse, eluvõime may denote a life force or vital energy, loosely comparable to notions such as qi or prana. This usage is not tied to a single doctrine and tends to describe overall vitality rather than a precise quantity.

In literature and media, eluvõime can function as a narrative device to describe a character’s potential for survival, persistence, or longevity, or as a fictional scalar related to resilience and tenacity.

Related terms include eluiga (lifespan) and elujõud (vitality or vigor). Eluvõime can be seen as a capacity-related concept that interacts with both lifespan and vitality, but it remains a non-standard, context-dependent expression.

Example: Eluvõime sõltub paljudest teguritest, nagu geneetika, toitumine ja keskkond.