entry
life
/laɪf/The state of being alive; existence and vitality
From Proto-Indo-European leip (to stick).
from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick, glue”). Cognate with Scots life, leif (“life”), Saterland Frisian Lieuw...
from Proto-Germanic *leiban (source also of Old Norse lif "life, body," Old Frisian, Old Saxon lif "life, person,...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English līf
from Middle English lyf
Word Ancestry
from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick, glue”). Cognate with Scots life, leif (“life”), Saterland Frisian Lieuw...
from Proto-Germanic *leiban (source also of Old Norse lif "life, body," Old Frisian, Old Saxon lif "life, person,...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English līf
from Middle English lyf
Picture the oldest metaphor hiding inside life: something that sticks around. The proposed Proto-Indo-European root *leyp- meant “to stick” or “glue,” which seems worlds away from breathing organisms until you follow the semantic trail—stick, remain, continue, live. In Old English, līf could mean not only existence but also a person or body; German still preserves a related split in Leib (“body”) and Leben (“life”). English later stretched the word in every direction: by 1703 it could describe an inanimate object’s duration, and by 1787 “the life of the party” meant the person who keeps the room electrically awake. So when someone says “that’s life,” they are unknowingly echoing an ancient idea of persistence: life is whatever manages, somehow, to stay attached to existence.
The Story
Picture the oldest metaphor hiding inside life: something that sticks around. The proposed Proto-Indo-European root *leyp- meant “to stick” or “glue,” which seems worlds away from breathing organisms until you follow the semantic trail—stick, remain, continue, live. In Old English, līf could mean not only existence but also a person or body; German still preserves a related split in Leib (“body”) and Leben (“life”). English later stretched the word in every direction: by 1703 it could describe an inanimate object’s duration, and by 1787 “the life of the party” meant the person who keeps the room electrically awake. So when someone says “that’s life,” they are unknowingly echoing an ancient idea of persistence: life is whatever manages, somehow, to stay attached to existence.
Modern Usage
A meaningless void between birth and death; also, humorously, a timed multiple-choice exam
Popularized by: Urban Dictionary entries
Notable References
- “Life’s a bitch, and then you die.”
Kin & Kindred
From 'leip'·to stick, glue; remain attached
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary