vita

vita

UK[ˈviːtə]US[ˈvaɪtə]
n

a brief biographical sketch, especially of a person's career and professional qualifications.

n

a curriculum vitae.

Etymology

the word "vita" entered english directly from latin, where "vīta" meant "life". this latin term is itself derived from the proto-italic gʷītā, which is ultimately traceable to the proto-indo-european root gʷei̯h₃- meaning "to live". unlike many latin borrowings that combine with english affixes, "vita" was adopted as a complete lexical unit. in modern english, its meaning has specialized from the general concept of "life" to refer specifically to a written account of a person's life, particularly their professional career, reflecting a focused semantic evolution from the original, broader source.

Analysis

the entire word "vita" is a simplex loanword from latin, where it functioned as a noun meaning "life".

Examples

she submitted her vita along with the application for the academic position.

the first chapter of the biography provides a detailed vita of the artist's early years.

his impressive vita listed publications from over two decades of research.