subvitaladj.n.
/ˌsʌbˈvʌɪtl/, U.S. /ˌsəbˈvaɪdl/ A. adj.
1. Chiefly Biology. Characteristic of an organism, tissue, etc. that is losing or has lost viability; lacking full physiological or metabolic function; not living.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [adjective] > indicative or characteristic of
subvital1834
thanatognomonic1862
the world > life > source or principle of life > [adjective] > not fully alive
subvital1887
1834 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 5 July 178/2 After death has been ostensibly induced, there are certain sub-vital actions which still go in the human body.
1887 Amer. Jrnl. Obstetr. 20 843 Fatty degeneration begins, and the tissues of the organ become, to a certain extent, sub-vital.
1917 Dental Cosmos 59 652/1 That is the reaction in vital tissue, but we do not have this in sub-vital tissue.
1962 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 62 525 (title) A subvital muscle preparation with contractile and oxidative-phosphorylative activity.
2005 K. Plummer Difference & Diversity of Sexualities III. vii. 14 Jehovanists criticize pornography for a similar reason: it transforms vital beings into subvital abstractions.
2. Genetics. Of a mutation, mutant gene, etc.: associated with reduced viability but allowing a significant proportion (typically more than 10 per cent) of affected individuals to survive or reach maturity. Also: of, relating to, or carrying such a mutation, gene, etc. Cf. semi-lethal adj., sublethal adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > genetic components > [adjective] > chromosomal or allele abnormality
lethal1917
sublethal1918
subvital1948
1948 E. Hadorn in Symp. Soc. Exper. Biol. II. 181 We may even come across mutants, or organ systems of lethals, that behave during a first sensitive period as subvital factors, during a second period as semi-lethals, and during a third period as true lethals.
1962 I. H. Herskowitz Genetics xxviii. 239 Autosomes II, III, and IV of wild-type flies were individually made homozygous to detect the presence of recessive mutants..that are lethal..or semilethal..or subvital (causing significantly less than normal but greater than 10 per cent survival to adulthood).
1978 Acta Embryologiae Experimentalis i. 101 80·9% of them survive the ill effects of the mutation; it is, therefore, considered a subvital mutation.
2008 F. B. Christiansen Theories Pop. Variation in Genes & Genomes ix. 292 Only one cross yielded obviously subvital heterozygotes.
B. n.
Genetics A subvital mutation, mutant gene, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > [noun] > changes or actions of genes or chromosomes > mutation > mutational change
mutation1925
subvital1951
1951 Amer. Naturalist 85 210 The original parental flies of each population carried second chromosomes that were free of lethals, semilethals, and easily detectable subvitals.
1985 Exper. Gerontol. 20 121 It is conceivable that a larger scale experiment or one that allows subvitals to segregate from late acting beneficial alleles might reveal key loci responsible for senescent decline of motor abilities.
2003 Hereditas 139 135/1 The combination of viability classes of lethals and subvitals..was also non-randomly distributed among O-inversion karyotypes.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1834