「在心中產生明顯而強烈的印象」,1630年代,來自法語vivide,也可能直接源自拉丁語vividus「有活力的,動畫的,生動的,充滿生命的」,來自vivus「活著」(來自原始印歐語根*gwei-「生活」)。
對顏色的延伸,「展現生命或新鮮的外觀」,始於1660年代。自1680年代起指回憶;自1853年起指想像力、興趣等。相關詞:Vividly;vividness; vividity。
[Vividity's] ugliness is no doubt its misfortune rather than its fault ; but it is as natural to prefer vividness to it as to choose the one of two otherwise equal applicants who does not squint. [Fowler, "Modern English Usage," 1926]
[Vividity的醜陋無疑是它的不幸而非過錯;但偏好vividness是自然的,就像選擇兩個其他條件相等的申請者中不眯眼的那一個。[Fowler, "Modern English Usage," 1926]