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vital statistics

pl.n.

1. Statistics concerning the important events in human life, such as births, deaths, marriages, and migrations.

2. Informal The dimensions of a person's body, especially of a woman's body as measured around bust, waist, and hips.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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