LIFE

abishekclement (25)in #life • 9 years ago

the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.

the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, especially metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment.

the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual:
to risk one's life; a short life and a merry one.
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a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul:
eternal life.

the general or universal condition of human existence:
Too bad, but life is like that.

any specified period of animate existence:
a man in middle life.

the period of existence, activity, or effectiveness of something inanimate, as a machine, lease, or play:
The life of the car may be ten years.

adjective

for or lasting a lifetime; lifelong:
a life membership in a club; life imprisonment.

of or relating to animate existence:
the life force; life functions.

working from nature or using a living model:
a life drawing; a life class in oil painting.
Idioms

as large as life, actually; indeed:
There he stood, as large as life.
Also, as big as life.

come to life,
to recover consciousness.
to become animated and vigorous:
The evening passed, but somehow the party never came to life.
to appear lifelike:
The characters of the novel came to life on the screen.

for dear life, with desperate effort, energy, or speed:
We ran for dear life, with the dogs at our heels.
Also, for one's life.

for the life of one, as hard as one tries; even with the utmost effort:
He can't understand it for the life of him.

get a life, to improve the quality of one's social and professional life: often used in the imperative to express impatience with someone's behavior:
Stop wasting time with that nonsense; get a life!

not on your life, Informal. absolutely not; under no circumstances; by no means:
Will I stand for such a thing? Not on your life!

take one's life in one's hands, to risk death knowingly:
We were warned that we were taking our lives in our hands by going through that swampy area.

Origin of life Expand
Middle EnglishOld English
900before 900; Middle English lif(e); Old English līf; cognate with Dutch lijf, German Leib body, Old Norse līf life, body; akin to live1
Related forms Expand
prelife, adjective
underlife, noun
Synonyms Expand
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

vivacity, sprightliness, vigor, verve, activity, energy.
Antonyms Expand
inertia.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for life Expand
Contemporary Examples
His life as a man is built around health insurance and tax services.

Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President
Pierre Assouline
January 9, 2015
It was also an attack on our freedom of expression and way of life.

Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead
Luke O’Neil
January 8, 2015
I always wanted my life to be that way, and it became that way.

Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness
Marlow Stern
January 7, 2015
I liked it because it was like my life coming back together.

Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness
Marlow Stern
January 7, 2015
It could dramatically improve quality of life in communities throughout the developing world.

Bill Gates Drinks Sewer Water
Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video
January 7, 2015
Historical Examples
I think this blessing comes from the Divine, by reason of the innocence of his life.

Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
They rile me—that talk about 'people in the humbler walks of life.'

The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
That shows you what life in a great city does for the morally weak.

The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Once it was that he had felt a sudden great longing for the life of a gay city.

The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
It wa'n't good for him to be holed up out there in them hills all his life.

The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for life Expand
life
/laɪf/
noun (pl) lives (laɪvz)

the state or quality that distinguishes living beings or organisms from dead ones and from inorganic matter, characterized chiefly by metabolism, growth, and the ability to reproduce and respond to stimuli related adjectives animate vital

the period between birth and death

a living person or being: to save a life

the time between birth and the present time

the remainder or extent of one's life
(as modifier): a life sentence, life membership, life subscription, life work

short for life imprisonment

the amount of time that something is active or functioning: the life of a battery

a present condition, state, or mode of existence: my life is very dull here

a biography
(as modifier): a life story

a characteristic state or mode of existence: town life
(as modifier): life style

the sum or course of human events and activities

liveliness or high spirits: full of life

a source of strength, animation, or vitality: he was the life of the show

all living things, taken as a whole: there is no life on Mars, plant life

sparkle, as of wines

strong or high flavour, as of fresh food

(modifier) ( arts) drawn or taken from a living model: life drawing, a life mask

(physics) another name for lifetime

(in certain games) one of a number of opportunities of participation

(informal) as large as life, real and living

larger than life, in an exaggerated form

come to life
to become animate or conscious
to be realistically portrayed or represented

for dear life, urgently or with extreme vigour or desperation

for the life of one, though trying desperately

(Austral & NZ, informal) go for your life, an expression of encouragement

a matter of life and death, a matter of extreme urgency

(informal) not on your life, certainly not

(informal) the life and soul, a person regarded as the main source of merriment and liveliness: the life and soul of the party

(informal) the life of Riley, an easy life

to the life, (of a copy or image) resembling the original exactly

(informal) to save one's life, in spite of all considerations or attempts: he couldn't play football to save his life

the time of one's life, a memorably enjoyable time

true to life, faithful to reality
Word Origin
Old English līf; related to Old High German lib, Old Norse līf life, body

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for life Expand
n.
Old English life (dative lif) "existence, lifetime, way of life, condition of being a living thing, opposite of death," from Proto-Germanic *libam (cf. Old Norse lif "life, body," Dutch lijf "body," Old High German lib "life," German Leib "body"), properly "continuance, perseverance," from PIE *leip- "to remain, persevere, continue; stick, adhere" (see leave (v.)). Much of the modern range of meanings was present in Old English. Meaning "property which distinguishes living from non-living matter" is from 1560s. Sense of "vitality, energy" is from 1580s. Extended 1703 to "term of duration (of inanimate objects)."

Life-jacket is from 1840; life-preserver from 1630s of anything that is meant to save a life, 1803 of devices worn to prevent drowning. Life-saver is from 1883, figurative use from 1909, as a brand of hard sugar candy, from 1912, so called for shape. Life-form is from 1861. Life cycle is from 1855.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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life in Medicine Expand
life (līf)
n. pl. lives (līvz)

The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.

The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.

Living organisms considered as a group.

A living being, especially a person.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
life in Science Expand
life (līf)
The properties or qualities that distinguish living plants and organisms from dead or inanimate matter, including the capacity to grow, metabolize nutrients, respond to stimuli, reproduce, and adapt to the environment. The definitive beginning and end of human life are complex concepts informed by medical, legal, sociological, and religious considerations.

Living organisms considered as a group, such as the plants or animals of a given region.

bet your boots, low-life, not on your life

life
noun phrase

Prostitution, esp as a business: a hooker from LA who knows this is her ticket out of the life/ this latter often purchased ''hot'' from others in the life
The homosexual life, esp that of an effeminate transvestite male prostitute: She had lived the life so long now (1970s+)
Related Terms

in the life

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with life Expand
life
life and death
life is too short
life of Riley
life of the party
also see:
bet one's ass (life)
big as life
breathe new life into
bring to life
change of life
charmed life
come alive (to life)
dog's life
facts of life
for dear life
for the life of
get a life
good life
late in life
lay down (one's life)
lead a double life
matter of life and death
new lease on life
not on your life