Vie

Vie is a term with multiple linguistic uses. In French, vie is the common noun for life, used to refer to the state of being alive and to various aspects of living.

With phrases like vie privée (private life), vie professionnelle (professional life), and vie quotidienne (daily life), it forms a core part of everyday French vocabulary. The word is pronounced roughly like “vee” in French.

In English, vie is a verb meaning to compete or contend, especially for advantage or superiority. It is used with for or with: “The two universities vie for the top position” or “They vie with their rivals for market share.” The third person singular is vies, and the present participle is vying.

Etymology: The French noun vie derives from Latin vita via Old French, sharing cognates in related Romance languages. The English verb vie appears to have been borrowed through influence from French, with attestation in English from the medieval period.

See also this term’s broader context in language as a noun for life and as a verb for competition.