vida

Vida is the word for life in Spanish and Portuguese. It is used in everyday language, appears in idioms and titles, and, in some cultures, serves as a given name.

Etymology: Vida derives from Latin vita, the root of related terms in Romance languages. The form reflects the shared concept of life across these languages.

Biology: In science, life is a characteristic that distinguishes certain organized, metabolizing systems from inanimate matter. Typical criteria include cellular organization, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, reproduction, and homeostasis, with evolution acting as a unifying long-term process. There is no single definition that encompasses all cases, but these features are commonly used to identify living systems.

Origins and diversity: Life on Earth is believed to have arisen roughly 3.5 to 4 billion years ago. Early life consisted of simple, single-celled organisms; over vast spans of time, life diversified into the broad array of plants, animals, fungi, and microbes that inhabit the planet today. Abiogenesis, the study of how life originated from non-living matter, remains an active area of research.

Cultural usage: In literature, music, film, and everyday speech, vida evokes themes of vitality and existence. Phrases such as vida cotidiana (everyday life) and vida eterna (eternal life) are common in Spanish and Portuguese. As a given name, vida is used in various cultures, reflecting the positive associations tied to the concept of life.