Inherited from Latin vīventem, accusative of Latin vīventem, the present active participle of vīvō (“live, be alive”). The same formation, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷíh₃wontm̥, is seen in Ashkun źit, Kamkata-viri ǰat, Sanskrit जीवन्त (jī́vanta), Waigali ǰit.