life
/laɪf/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*līban — to remain, to be left, to live
Overview
Meaning Now
- The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
- The existence of an individual human being or animal.
Literal older meaning
living, being alive
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
līf
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word stems from a root meaning 'to remain' or 'adhere', reflecting an ancient perception of life as the state of persistence or vitality compared to the 'stickiness' of substances or the state of remaining in the body.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*leip-
“to stick, adhere, remain”
Suggests the concept of persistence or remaining alive.
- Proto-Germanic
*lībam
“life, body”
- Old English
līf
“life, existence, manner of living”
- Middle English
lif
“vitality, existence”
Connections
Word parts
life
root
existence
Related across languages
German
Leib
body (historically related sense of the living body)
Dutch
lijf
body
Old Norse
líf
life
Related words
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Related to life
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.