NationStates Jolt Archive

1.

A. 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.
B. The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.

2. Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life.

3. A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.

4. The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer.

5
A. The interval of time between birth and death: She led a good, long life.
B. The interval of time between one's birth and the present: has had hay fever all his life.
C. A particular segment of one's life: my adolescent life.
D. The period from an occurrence until death: elected for life; paralyzed for life.
E. Slang. A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.

6 The time for which something exists or functions: the useful life of a car.

7.A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.

8. An account of a person's life; a biography.

9. Human existence, relationships, or activity in general: real life; everyday life.

10.

A. A manner of living: led a hard life.
B. A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects: “Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them” (New Republic).
C. The activities and interests of a particular area or realm: musical life in New York.

11.

A. A source of vitality; an animating force: She's the life of the show.
B. Liveliness or vitality; animation: a face that is full of life.

12

A. Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist: painted from life.
B. Actual environment or reality; nature.

That's it? I was expecting something grand and spectacular.

-----------------------------------------
"But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality."
Free your mind! (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/berkman/comanarchism/whatis_toc.html)
I like big butts!

http://www.angelfire.com/mo3/terrapvlchra/images/steatopygia.jpg

Grand and spectacular eh?

Time for some one-upmanship :twisted:

I. The condition or attribute of living or being alive; animate existence. Opposed to death.

1. a. Primarily, the condition, quality, or fact of being a living person or animal. Phrases: to bring (out) of life (see BRING v. 8b); to do or draw of live, to kill, destroy; to go of live, to die; while there is life there is hope (and similar phrases); there is life in the old dog yet (and variants): an assertion of continuing competence, strength, etc., notwithstanding evidence to the contrary.

b. In a wider sense: The property which constitutes the essential difference between a living animal or plant, or a living portion of organic tissue, and dead or non-living matter; the assemblage of the functional activities by which the presence of this property is manifested. Often with defining word, as in animal, vegetable, psychical life.

c. Continuance or prolongation of animate existence; opposed to death. (For tree, water, elixir, etc. of life, see these ns.) (a matter, etc.) of life and (also or) death: (something) on which it depends whether a person shall live or die; hence fig. (a matter) of ‘vital’ importance.

d. Animate existence viewed as dependent on sustenance or favourable physical conditions. (For necessary of life, staff of life, see those words.) Hence, that which is necessary to sustain life; a livelihood, one's living. Obs.

e. Attributed hyperbolically to products of plastic or graphic art.

f. to come to life: to recover as from apparent death; to regain consciousness after a swoon. So to bring to life.

2. fig. Used to designate a condition of power, activity, or happiness, in contrast to a condition conceived hyperbolically or metaphorically as ‘death’. Chiefly in biblical and religious use: The condition of those who are raised from the ‘death of sin’ and are ‘alive unto righteousness’; the divinely implanted power or principle by which this condition is produced; also, the state of existence of the souls of the blessed departed, in contrast with that of the lost.

3. a. Animate existence (esp. that of a human being) viewed as a possession of which one is deprived by death, esp. in to lose, save, lay down one's life, and similar expressions. Formerly the life = one's, his (etc.) life. Often idiomatically conjoined with other ns., as life and limb (formerly life and member), life and soul. life for life: one of the phrases expressing the principle of lex talionis.

b. In generalized or collective sense.

c. in, upon, under pain of life: subject to the penalty of death. for, upon one's life: on a capital charge. for (one's) life, for dear life, etc., so as to save, or, as if to save, one's life. Also hyperbolically in trivial use, (I cannot) for my life, for the life of me (see FOR prep. 9c).

d. In asseverative phrases and oaths, as by, for, of my life; God's life, shortened to 'SLIFE, life. Also in oath-words formed with diminutive suffixes, lifekins, lifelikins, lifelings. Phr. not on your life, not on any account, by no means.

e. A vital or vulnerable point of an animal's body; the ‘life-spot’.

4. a. Energy in action, thought, or expression; liveliness in feeling, manner, or aspect; animation, vivacity, spirit. spec. in Cricket, that quality in the pitch which causes the ball to rise abruptly or unevenly after pitching.

b. to give life to: to bring into active use; to impart an impetus to. Obs.

5. a. The cause or source of living; the vivifying or animating principle; he who or that which makes or keeps a thing alive (in various senses); ‘soul’; ‘essence’. Hence (poet. nonce-use) = ‘life-blood’. Also in collocation life and soul.

b. my life: my beloved, my dearest. Not now in familiar use.

6. In various concrete applications. a. A living being, a person. [So OS., OFris. lîf.] Obs.

b. One's family or line. Obs.

c. nonce uses. Vitality as embodied in an individual person or thing.

d. Vitality or activity embodied in material forms; living things in the aggregate.

7. a. (In early use commonly the life.) The living form or model; living semblance; life-size figure or presentation. Also life itself. after, from (or by) the life: (drawn) from the living model. as large as (the) life, life-size; hence humorously, implying that a person's figure or aspect is not lacking in any point. Hence larger-than-life; larger-than-lifeness (nonce). small life: ? somewhat less than life-size.

b. to the life: with life-like presentation of or resemblance to the original (said of a drawing or painting); with fidelity to nature; with exact reproduction of every point or detail; Formerly const. of. to set oneself out to the life: to adorn oneself with the utmost pains.

II. With reference to duration.

8. a. The animate terrestrial existence of an individual viewed with regard to its duration; the period from birth to death. Also adverbially, all my (his, etc.) life: = in or during all my (etc.) life; formerly sometimes without all. of one's life, denoting the most important event of its kind in one's life. See also TIME n. 6. Phr. for once in my (etc.) life.

b. for life: for the remaining period of the person's life. a lease, grant, etc. for (two, three, etc.) lives: one which is to remain in force during the life of the longest liver of (two, three, etc.) specified persons. Hence occas. the persons on whose length of life the duration of a lease depends are called the lives.

c. The term of duration of an inanimate thing; the time that a manufactured object lasts. In Physics applied spec. to the average duration of existence of the members of a population of identical particles or states (equal to the period in which the population decreases by a factor e).
The half-life is equal to the (mean) life multiplied by loge 2 (about 0·693).

d. Imprisonment for life; a life sentence. slang.

9. Life assurance. a. A person considered with regard to the probable future duration of his life. a good life: one whose life is exposed to no exceptional risks, and who is likely to live at least to the term assigned as the average ‘expectation’ at his age. So a bad life, a first-class life. b. Any particular amount of expectation of life. c. ‘An insurance on a person's life; a life insurance policy’ (Ogilvie, 1882).

10. pl. in proverbial expressions referring to tenacity of life.

11. Transferred uses in various games. Cards (‘Commerce’). One of three counters, which each player has; so called because, when he has lost all of them, he falls out of the game. Pool. One of three chances which each player has. Cricket. The continuation of a batsman's innings after a chance has been missed of getting him out. Similarly in Baseball.

III. Course, condition, or manner of living.

12. a. The series of actions and occurrences constituting the history of an individual (esp. a human being) from birth to death. In generalized sense, the course of human existence from birth to death. (anything, nothing) in life: ‘in the world’, at all; such is life!: see SUCH dem. adj. and pron. 2; similarly that's life, life's like that; to live one's (own) life: to conduct oneself without reference to the opinions of others; this is the life: an expression of satisfaction; it's a great life (if you don't weaken): an ironic comment on the difficulties of one's situation; what a life!: an expression of discontent; how's life?: how are you faring?

b. The Biblical phrase this life (Vulg. hæc vita, Gr. , 1 Cor. xv. 19) is used (as also the or this present life) to denote the earthly state of human existence in contradistinction to the future life (occas. another life, etc.), the state of existence after death. (Phr. to depart this life, from this life: see DEPART v. 7, 8.) Hence arises an occasional use of life for: Either of the two states of human existence separated by death.

c. A particular manner or course of living: characterized as good, bad, happy, wretched, etc. Phr. anything for a quiet life.

d. In mod. use: The conspicuously active or practical part of human existence; the business, active pleasures, or pursuits of the world. Often with reference to social gaieties or vicious pleasures, esp. in phr. to see life. Also, the position of participating in the affairs of the world, of being a recognized member of society; esp. in phrases to begin or enter life, to be settled in life.

e. the life of the mind: intellectual or aesthetic pursuits, scholarship; meditation, the realm of the imagination.

13. A written account of a person's ‘life’ (sense 12); a biography. So Life and Times, a biography combined with a study of the public events of the character's lifetime; life-and-work(s, a biography combined with a study of the writings of the subject.

:oops:

oh...yeah?!?!?

42

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Jim

The purpose of life is simply this: To produce offspring, and then to make way for its offspring by death.

That, or 42, depending on your standpoints.

You should do better this time than you did last time..and even better next time and then finally go to Nirvana. That´s it. :roll:

:oops:

oh...yeah?!?!?

Yeah! :)

BTW that was from the Oxford English Dictionary Online. I was tempted to include the quotations for each definition and the etymology but I thought that would be a bit too grand and spectacular. For example, heres the etymology and the quotations list for the first definition

Life, n.

etymology: [OE. líf str. neut., corresponds to OFris. lîf neut., life, person, body, OS. lîf neut., life, person (MDu. lijf life, body, Du. lijf body), OHG. lîb masc. and neut., life (MHG. lîp, inflected lîb-, masc., life, body, mod.G. leib masc., body), ON. líf neut., life, occas. body (Sw. lif, Da. liv life, body):OTeut. *lîom, f. Teut. root *l-, whence LIVE v., OE. belífan BELIVE v., to remain; the ablaut-var. *lai- appears in LEAVE v. The general meaning of the root (Aryan *leip-, loip-, lip-) is ‘to continue, last, endure’; cf. Gr. persistent.]

I. The condition or attribute of living or being alive; animate existence. Opposed to death.

1. a. Primarily, the condition, quality, or fact of being a living person or animal. Phrases: to bring (out) of life (see BRING v. 8b); to do or draw of live, to kill, destroy; to go of live, to die; while there is life there is hope (and similar phrases); there is life in the old dog yet (and variants): an assertion of continuing competence, strength, etc., notwithstanding evidence to the contrary.

Beowulf 2471 [th*]a he of life [gh*]ewat.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 197 And te londes men hire.. lache, and do of liue.
c1200 ORMIN 9776 Profetess all wiutenn gilt e haffdenn brohht off life.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 252 Blodles & banles & leomen buten liue.
c1250 Gen. & Ex. 201 His licham of ere he nam, And blew or-in a liues blast. Ibid. 3806, .xiiii. husent it haue slaen, And .iiii. score of liue draen. Ibid. 3884 Aaron o wente of liwe or.
c1330 Spec. Gy Warw. 252 Vp he ros e ridde day From de to liue wid-oute nay.
c1374 CHAUCER Troylus II. 1559 (1608) Ioue..bryng hym soone of lyue.
c1400 Destr. Troy 11038 Phylmen, e freke,..Lut to e lady, & of his lyff anket. c1400 MANDEVILLE (Roxb.) Pref. 1 In e whilk land it lyked him to take lief and blude of oure Lady Saint Marie.
a1400-50 Alexander 2162 If any life lenge in oure brestis.
1539 R. TAVERNER Erasmus's Proverbs f. 36v, The sycke person whyle he hath lyfe, hath hope.
1560 J. DAUS tr. Sleidane's Comm. 415 [He is] so sicke and diseased, that they can hardlye kepe life in him.
1611 BIBLE Gen. ii. 20 The mouing creature that hath life. a1638 MEDE Wks. 401 The fire is known by its burning; the life of the body is known by its moving. 1671 J. CROWNE Juliana v. 56 Madam, he breathes, and whilst there's life, there's hope.
1676 DRYDEN Aurengz. I. i. 150 Proof of my Life my Royal Signet made.
1697 COLLIER Immor. Stage 288 As long as there's Life there's Hope.
1727 J. GAY Fables xxvii. 93 While there is life, there's hope, he cry'd.
1738 POPE Universal Prayer 44 Oh lead me whereso'er I go, Thro' this day's Life or Death.
1765 BLACKSTONE Comm. I. i. 94 Life is the immediate gift of God. 1803 Med. Jrnl. X. 516 Deep inspiration, sighing, and other strong symptoms of life.
1808 Monthly Pantheon I. 366/1 Whilst there is life you know there are hopes!
1859 S. ALLEN Let. 1 Dec. in D. Ayerst Guardian (1971) x. 134 ‘Are not the advertisements grand?’.. ‘There is life in the old dog yet.’
1880 L. MORRIS Ode Life 138 Life! what is life, that it ceases with ceasing of breath?
1908 E. J. BANFIELD Confessions of Beachcomber II. ii. 301 While there is life there is hope is evidently Nelly's creed.
1940 Time 15 July 49/1 Tallulah Bankhead demonstrated that there's life in Pinero's old girl yet.

this goes on for each of the 13 definitions I gave above. In addition to this, there are 5 more definitions with their sub-definitions which I didn't include as they are mostly to do with life used in combination with other words e.g. life-raft.

I just like words- I'm doing a module next year about the meaning of words and the study of dictionaries :D

42.

:oops:

oh...yeah?!?!?

Yeah! :)

BTW that was from the Oxford English Dictionary Online. I was tempted to include the quotations for each definition and the etymology but I thought that would be a bit too grand and spectacular. For example, heres the etymology and the quotations list for the first definition

Life, n.

etymology: [OE. líf str. neut., corresponds to OFris. lîf neut., life, person, body, OS. lîf neut., life, person (MDu. lijf life, body, Du. lijf body), OHG. lîb masc. and neut., life (MHG. lîp, inflected lîb-, masc., life, body, mod.G. leib masc., body), ON. líf neut., life, occas. body (Sw. lif, Da. liv life, body):OTeut. *lîom, f. Teut. root *l-, whence LIVE v., OE. belífan BELIVE v., to remain; the ablaut-var. *lai- appears in LEAVE v. The general meaning of the root (Aryan *leip-, loip-, lip-) is ‘to continue, last, endure’; cf. Gr. persistent.]

I. The condition or attribute of living or being alive; animate existence. Opposed to death.

1. a. Primarily, the condition, quality, or fact of being a living person or animal. Phrases: to bring (out) of life (see BRING v. 8b); to do or draw of live, to kill, destroy; to go of live, to die; while there is life there is hope (and similar phrases); there is life in the old dog yet (and variants): an assertion of continuing competence, strength, etc., notwithstanding evidence to the contrary.

Beowulf 2471 [th*]a he of life [gh*]ewat.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 197 And te londes men hire.. lache, and do of liue.
c1200 ORMIN 9776 Profetess all wiutenn gilt e haffdenn brohht off life.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 252 Blodles & banles & leomen buten liue.
c1250 Gen. & Ex. 201 His licham of ere he nam, And blew or-in a liues blast. Ibid. 3806, .xiiii. husent it haue slaen, And .iiii. score of liue draen. Ibid. 3884 Aaron o wente of liwe or.
c1330 Spec. Gy Warw. 252 Vp he ros e ridde day From de to liue wid-oute nay.
c1374 CHAUCER Troylus II. 1559 (1608) Ioue..bryng hym soone of lyue.
c1400 Destr. Troy 11038 Phylmen, e freke,..Lut to e lady, & of his lyff anket. c1400 MANDEVILLE (Roxb.) Pref. 1 In e whilk land it lyked him to take lief and blude of oure Lady Saint Marie.
a1400-50 Alexander 2162 If any life lenge in oure brestis.
1539 R. TAVERNER Erasmus's Proverbs f. 36v, The sycke person whyle he hath lyfe, hath hope.
1560 J. DAUS tr. Sleidane's Comm. 415 [He is] so sicke and diseased, that they can hardlye kepe life in him.
1611 BIBLE Gen. ii. 20 The mouing creature that hath life. a1638 MEDE Wks. 401 The fire is known by its burning; the life of the body is known by its moving. 1671 J. CROWNE Juliana v. 56 Madam, he breathes, and whilst there's life, there's hope.
1676 DRYDEN Aurengz. I. i. 150 Proof of my Life my Royal Signet made.
1697 COLLIER Immor. Stage 288 As long as there's Life there's Hope.
1727 J. GAY Fables xxvii. 93 While there is life, there's hope, he cry'd.
1738 POPE Universal Prayer 44 Oh lead me whereso'er I go, Thro' this day's Life or Death.
1765 BLACKSTONE Comm. I. i. 94 Life is the immediate gift of God. 1803 Med. Jrnl. X. 516 Deep inspiration, sighing, and other strong symptoms of life.
1808 Monthly Pantheon I. 366/1 Whilst there is life you know there are hopes!
1859 S. ALLEN Let. 1 Dec. in D. Ayerst Guardian (1971) x. 134 ‘Are not the advertisements grand?’.. ‘There is life in the old dog yet.’
1880 L. MORRIS Ode Life 138 Life! what is life, that it ceases with ceasing of breath?
1908 E. J. BANFIELD Confessions of Beachcomber II. ii. 301 While there is life there is hope is evidently Nelly's creed.
1940 Time 15 July 49/1 Tallulah Bankhead demonstrated that there's life in Pinero's old girl yet.

this goes on for each of the 13 definitions I gave above. In addition to this, there are 5 more definitions with their sub-definitions which I didn't include as they are mostly to do with life used in combination with other words e.g. life-raft.

I just like words- I'm doing a module next year about the meaning of words and the study of dictionaries :D

stop showing off... :lol:

...and besides...You know what they say about men with big dictionaries...

...and besides...You know what they say about men with big dictionaries...

Nonono- you're thinking about men with big cars.

with dictionaries, size is directly proportional :twisted: