Originally Posted by dictionary
life |līf|
noun ( pl. lives |līvz|)
1 the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death : the origins of life.
• living things and their activity : some sort of life existed on Mars | lower forms of life | the ice-cream vendors were the only signs of life.
• the state of being alive as a human being : she didn't want to die; she loved life | a superficial world where life revolved around the minutiae of outward appearance.
• [with adj. ] a particular type or aspect of people's existence : an experienced teacher will help you settle into school life | revelations about his private life.
• vitality, vigor, or energy : she was beautiful and full of life.
2 the existence of an individual human being or animal : a disaster that claimed the lives of 266 Americans.
• [often with adj. ] a way of living : his father decided to start a new life in California.
• a biography : a life of Shelley.
• either of the two states of a person's existence separated by death (as in Christianity and some other religious traditions) : too much happiness in this life could reduce the chances of salvation in the next.
• any of a number of successive existences in which a soul is held to be reincarnated (as in Hinduism and some other religious traditions).
• a chance to live after narrowly escaping death (esp. with reference to the nine lives traditionally attributed to cats).
3 (usu. one's life) the period between the birth and death of a living thing, esp. a human being : she has lived all her life in the country | I want to be with you for the rest of my life | they became friends for life.
• the period during which something inanimate or abstract continues to exist, function, or be valid : underlay helps to prolong the life of a carpet.
• informal a sentence of imprisonment for life.
4 (in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination : the pose and clothing were sketched from life | [as adj. ] life drawing. See also still life .