Life

Life, līf, n. state of living: animate existence: union of soul and body: the period between birth and death: present state of existence: manner of living: moral conduct: animation: a living being: system of animal nature: social state: human affairs: narrative of a life: eternal happiness, also He who bestows it: a quickening principle in a moral sense: the living form and expression, living semblance: (cricket) an escape, as by a missed or dropped catch:—pl. Lives (līvz).—interj. used as an oath, abbreviated from God's life.—adj. Life′-and-death′, critical: desperate.—ns. Life′-annū′ity, a sum paid to a person yearly during life; Life′-assur′ance, Life′-insur′ance (see Insurance); Life′-belt, a belt either inflated with air, or with cork attached, for sustaining a person in the water; Life′-blood, the blood of an animal in the body: that which gives strength or life; Life′boat, a boat for saving shipwrecked persons, having air-chambers or the like, by which it is rendered specially buoyant and sometimes self-righting; Life′-buoy, a buoy intended to support a person in the water till he can be rescued; Life′-estate′, an estate held during the life of the possessor.—adjs. Life′ful (Spens.), full of vital energy; Life′-giv′ing, imparting life: invigorating.—ns. Life′-guard, a guard of the life or person: a guard of a prince or other dignitary; Life′-his′tory, Life′-cy′cle, the series of vital phenomena exhibited by an organism in its passage from the ovum to full development; Life′hold, land held by lease for life; Life′-in′terest, an interest lasting during one's life.—adj. Life′less, dead: without vigour: insipid: sluggish.—adv. Life′lessly.—n. Life′lessness.—adj. Life′-like, like a living person.—n. Life′-line, a rope stretched anywhere on board a vessel for support of the sailors in difficult operations or during wild weather: a line attached to a life-buoy or lifeboat for an immersed person to seize hold of.—adj. Life′long, during the length of a life.—ns. Life′-mor′tar, a mortar for throwing a shot of some kind to carry a rope from the shore to a ship in distress; Life′-peer, a peer whose title is not hereditary; Life′-peer′age; Life′-preserv′er, an invention, as a buoyant belt or jacket, for the preservation of life in cases of shipwreck: a cane with a loaded head; Life′-raft, a raft-like structure for use in case of shipwreck; Life′-rate, rate of payment on a policy of life-insurance.—adj. Life′-ren′dering (Shak.), yielding up life.—ns. Life′rent, a rent that continues for life; Life′renter, one who enjoys a liferent:—fem. Life′rentrix; Life′-rock′et, a rocket for carrying a line from the shore to a ship in distress.—adjs. Life′-sav′ing, designed to save life, esp. from drowning.—n. Life′-school, a school where artists work from living models.—adjs. Life′-size, similar in size to the object represented; Life′some, full of life: gay, lively.—ns. Life′-tā′ble, a table of statistics as to the probability of life at different ages; Life′-ten′ant, the owner of a life-estate: one who holds lands, &c., for the term of his own or another's life; Life′-time, continuation or duration of life.—adj. Life′-wea′ry (Shak.), weary of life: wretched.—n. Life′-work, the work to which one's life is or is to be devoted.—Life-saving apparatus, all materials, appliances, &c. available for preserving life in cases of shipwreck or fire.—Bring to life, to restore to life one apparently dead; Come to life, to be reanimated; For life, for the whole period of one's existence: so as to save life: very fast or strenuously; High life, the manner of living of those in high or fashionable society: the upper classes of society; Line of life (see Line); To the life, very closely resembling the original: exactly drawn. [A.S. líf; Ice. líf, Sw. lif, Dut. lijf, body, life; Ger. leben, to live.]