elemental vs vital

elemental

adj
  • Of, relating to, or being an element (as opposed to a compound). 

  • Of, or relating to a force of nature, especially to severe atmospheric conditions. 

  • Basic, fundamental or elementary. 

  • Of the ancient supposed elements of earth, air, fire and water. 

noun
  • A creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water or variations of them like ice, lightning, etc. They sometimes have unique proper names and sometimes are referred to as Air, Earth, Fire, or Water. 

vital

adj
  • Relating to, or characteristic of life. 

  • Invigorating or life-giving. 

  • Very important. 

  • Containing life; living. 

  • Necessary to continued existence. 

  • Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends. 

  • Capable of living; in a state to live; viable. 

  • Relating to the recording of life events. 

How often have the words elemental and vital occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )