vivants

Vivants is the French word for the living or for living beings. It functions both as an adjective and as a plural noun. As an adjective, it describes something that is alive or full of life, for example vivant or vivante for singular, vivants or vivantes for plural, depending on gender. As a noun, les vivants can refer to people or beings that are alive, especially in contrast to the dead (les morts).

Etymology and form: the term comes from Old French vivant, from Latin vivens, the present participle of vivere “to live.” The standard forms are masculine plural vivants and feminine plural vivantes; the singular forms are vivant (masculine) and vivante (feminine). In practice, the noun use most often appears in the masculine plural, as in les vivants.

Usage and contexts: in biology and everyday language, phrases such as êtres vivants and organisme vivant are common to denote living things. In everyday French, one typically uses être vivant or être vivants to emphasize life, rather than relying on the plural noun by itself. In literature, film, and philosophy, les vivants can appear as a thematic pairing with les morts to explore life, vitality, and the boundary between life and death. The term also appears in discussions of vitality and ethics surrounding living beings in ontological or bioethical contexts.

See also: être vivant; vie; organismus vivant; vitalisme. The English equivalents are “the living” or “living beings,” and the term is commonly translated to reflect context as plural or singular life.