Chapter 902

7. That which imparts or excites spirit or vigor; that upon which enjoyment or success depends; as, he was the life of the company, or of the enterprise .

8. The living or actual form, person, thing, or state; as, a picture or a description from, the life .

9. A person; a living being, usually a human being; as, many lives were sacrificed .

10. The system of animal nature; animals in general, or considered collectively.

Full nature swarms with life . Thomson.

11. An essential constituent of life, esp: the blood.

The words that I speak unto you . . . they are life . John vi. 63.

The warm life came issuing through the wound. Pope

12. A history of the acts and events of a life; a biography; as, Johnson wrote the life of Milton .

13. Enjoyment in the right use of the powers; especially, a spiritual existence; happiness in the favor of God; heavenly felicity.

14. Something dear to one as one's existence; a darling; -- used as a term of endearment.

&hand; Life forms the first part of many compounds, for the most part of obvious meaning; as, life- giving, life- sustaining, etc.

Life annuity , an annuity payable during one's life. -- Life arrow , Life rocket , Life shot , an arrow, rocket, or shot, for carrying an attached line to a vessel in distress in order to save life. -- Life assurance . See Life insurance , below. <-- no life boat?--> -- Life buoy . See Buoy . -- Life car , a water-tight boat or box, traveling on a line from a wrecked vessel to the shore. In it person are hauled through the waves and surf. -- Life drop , a drop of vital blood. Byron . -- Life estate (Law) , an estate which is held during the term of some certain person's life, but does not pass by inheritance. -- Life everlasting (Bot.) , a plant with white or yellow persistent scales about the heads of the flowers, as Antennaria , and Gnaphalium ; cudweed. -- Life of an execution (Law) , the period when an execution is in force, or before it expires. -- Life guard . (Mil.) See under Guard . -- Life insurance , the act or system of insuring against death; a contract by which the insurer undertakes, in consideration of the payment of a premium (usually at stated periods), to pay a stipulated sum in the event of the death of the insured or of a third person in whose life the insured has an interest. -- Life interest , an estate or interest which lasts during one's life, or the life of another person, but does not pass by inheritance. -- Life land (Law) , land held by lease for the term of a life or lives. -- Life line . (a) (Naut.) A line along any part of a vessel for the security of sailors . (b) A line attached to a life boat, or to any life saving apparatus, to be grasped by a person in the water. -- Life rate , rate of premium for insuring a life. -- Life rent , the rent of a life estate; rent or property to which one is entitled during one's life. -- Life school , a school for artists in which they model, paint, or draw from living models. -- Lifetable , a table showing the probability of life at different ages. -- To lose one's life , to die. -- To seek the life of , to seek to kill. -- To the life , so as closely to resemble the living person or the subject; as, the portrait was drawn to the life .

Lifeblood <Xpage=850>

Life"blood` (?) , n. 1. The blood necessary to life; vital blood.

Dryden.

2. Fig.: That which gives strength and energy.

Money [is] the lifeblood of the nation. Swift.

Lifeboat <Xpage=850>

Life"boat` (?) , n. A strong, buoyant boat especially designed for saving the lives of shipwrecked people.

Lifeful <Xpage=850>

Life"ful (?) , a. Full of vitality.

Spenser.

Life-giving <Xpage=850>

Life"-giv`ing (?) , a. Giving life or spirit; having power to give life; inspiriting; invigorating.

Lifehold <Xpage=850>

Life"hold` (?) , n. Land held by a life estate.

Lifeless <Xpage=850>

Life"less , a. Destitute of life, or deprived of life; not containing, or inhabited by, living beings or vegetation; dead, or apparently dead; spiritless; powerless; dull; as, a lifeless carcass; lifeless matter; a lifeless desert; a lifeless wine; a lifeless story. -- Life"less*ly , adv. -- Life"less*ness , n.

Syn. -- Dead; soulless; inanimate; torpid; inert; inactive; dull; heavy; unanimated; spiritless; frigid; pointless; vapid; flat; tasteless. -- Lifeless , Dull , Inanimate , Dead . In a moral sense, lifeless denotes a want of vital energy; inanimate , a want of expression as to any feeling that may be possessed; dull implies a torpor of soul which checks all mental activity; dead supposes a destitution of feeling. A person is said to be lifeless who has lost the spirits which he once had; he is said to be inanimate when he is naturally wanting in spirits; one is dull from an original deficiency of mental power; he who is dead to moral sentiment is wholly bereft of the highest attribute of his nature.

Lifelike <Xpage=850>

Life"like` (?) , a. [Cf. Lively .] Like a living being; resembling life; giving an accurate representation; as, a lifelike portrait . -- Life"like`ness , n.

Poe.

Lifelong <Xpage=850>

Life"long (?) , a. [ Life + long . Cf. Livelong .] Lasting or continuing through life.

Tennyson.

Lifely <Xpage=850>

Life"ly , adv. [Cf. Lively , a. ] In a lifelike manner. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Lifemate <Xpage=850>

Life"mate` (?) , n. Companion for life.

Hawthorne.

Lifen <Xpage=850>

Lif"en (?) , v. t. To enliven. [Obs.]

Marston.

Life-preserver <Xpage=850>

Life"-pre*serv`er (?) , n. An apparatus, made in very various forms, and of various materials, for saving one from drowning by buoying up the body while in the water. -- Life"-pre*serv`ing , a.

Life-saving <Xpage=850>

Life"-sav`ing (?) , a. That saves life, or is suited to save life, esp. from drowning; as, the life-saving service; a life-saving station.

Life-size <Xpage=850>

Life"-size` (?) , a. Of full size; of the natural size.

Lifesome <Xpage=850>

Life"some (?) , a. Animated; sprightly. [Poetic] Coleridge . -- Life"some*ness , n.

Lifespring <Xpage=850>

Life"spring` (?) , n. Spring or source of life.

Lifestring <Xpage=850>

Life"string" (?) , n. A nerve, or string, that is imagined to be essential to life.

Daniel.

Lifetime <Xpage=850>

Life"time` (<?/) , n. The time that life continues .

Life-weary <Xpage=850>

Life"-wea`ry (?) , a. Weary of living.

Shak.

Liflode <Xpage=850>

Lif"lode (?) , n. Livelihood. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Lift <Xpage=850>

Lift (?) , n. [AS. lyft air. See Loft .] The sky; the atmosphere; the firmament. [Obs. or Scot.]

Lift <Xpage=850>

Lift (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Lifted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Lifting .] [Icel. lypta , fr. lopt air; akin to Sw. lyfta to lift, Dan. l\'94fte , G. l\'81ften ; -- prop., to raise into the air. See Loft , and cf. 1st Lift .] 1. To move in a direction opposite to that of gravitation; to raise; to elevate; to bring up from a lower place to a higher; to upheave; sometimes implying a continued support or holding in the higher place; -- said of material things; as, to lift the foot or the hand; to lift a chair or a burden .

<page="851"> Page 851

2. To raise, elevate, exalt, improve, in rank, condition, estimation, character, etc.; -- often with up .

The Roman virtues lift up mortal man. Addison.

Lest, being lifted up with pride. I Tim. iii. 6.

3. To bear; to support. [Obs.]

Spenser.

4. To collect, as moneys due; to raise.

5. [Perh. a different word, and akin to Goth. hliftus thief, hlifan to steal, L. clepere , Gr. <?/. Cf. Shoplifter .] To steal; to carry off by theft (esp. cattle); as, to lift a drove of cattle .

&hand; In old writers, lift is sometimes used for lifted .

He ne'er lift up his hand but conquered. Shak.

To lift up , to raise or elevate; in the Scriptures, specifically, to elevate upon the cross. John viii. 28 . -- To lift up the eyes . To look up; to raise the eyes, as in prayer. Ps. cxxi. 1 . -- To lift up the feet , to come speedily to one's relief. Ps. lxxiv. 3 . -- To lift up the hand . (a) To take an oath . Gen. xiv. 22 . (b) To pray. Ps. xxviii. 2 . (c) To engage in duty. Heb. xii. 12 . -- To lift up the hand against , to rebel against; to assault; to attack; to injure; to oppress. Job xxxi. 21 . -- To lift up one's head , to cause one to be exalted or to rejoice. Gen. xl. 13 . Luke xxi. 28 . -- To lift up the heel against , to treat with insolence or unkindness. John xiii.18 . -- To lift up the voice , to cry aloud; to call out. Gen. xxi. 16 .

Lift <Xpage=851>

Lift (?) , v. i. 1. To try to raise something; to exert the strength for raising or bearing.

Strained by lifting at a weight too heavy. Locke.

2. To rise; to become or appear raised or elevated; as, the fog lifts ; the land lifts to a ship approaching it.

3. [See Lift , v. t. , 5.] To live by theft.

Spenser.

Lift <Xpage=851>

Lift , n. 1. Act of lifting; also, that which is lifted.

2. The space or distance through which anything is lifted; as, a long lift .

Bacon.

3. Help; assistance, as by lifting; as, to give one a lift in a wagon . [Colloq.]

The goat gives the fox a lift . L'Estrange.

<-- 3b. a ride in a vehicle, given by the vehicle's owner to another person as a favor -- usually in "give a lift" or "got a lift", as "Jack gave me a lift into town." -->

4. That by means of which a person or thing lifts or is lifted ; as: (a) A hoisting machine; an elevator; a dumb waiter . (b) An exercising machine.

5. A rise; a degree of elevation; as, the lift of a lock in canals .

6. A lift gate. See Lift gate , below. [Prov. Eng.]

7. (Naut.) A rope leading from the masthead to the extremity of a yard below; -- used for raising or supporting the end of the yard.

8. (Mach.) One of the steps of a cone pulley.

9. (Shoemaking) A layer of leather in the heel.

10. (Horology) That portion of the vibration of a balance during which the impulse is given.

Saunier.

Dead lift . See under Dead . Swift . -- Lift bridge , a kind of drawbridge, the movable part of which is lifted, instead of being drawn aside. -- Lift gate , a gate that is opened by lifting. -- Lift hammer . See Tilt hammer . -- Lift lock , a canal lock. -- Lift pump , a lifting pump. -- Lift tenter (Windmills) , a governor for regulating the speed by adjusting the sails, or for adjusting the action of grinding machinery according to the speed. -- Lift wall (Canal Lock) , the cross wall at the head of the lock.

Liftable <Xpage=851>

Lift"a*ble (?) , a. Such as can be lifted.

Lifter <Xpage=851>

Lift"er (?) , n. 1. One who, or that which, lifts.

2. (Founding) A tool for lifting loose sand from the mold; also, a contrivance attached to a cope, to hold the sand together when the cope is lifted.

Lifting <Xpage=851>

Lift"ing , a. Used in, or for, or by, lifting.

Lifting bridge , a lift bridge. -- Lifting jack . See 2d Jack , 5. -- Lifting machine . See Health lift , under Health . -- Lifting pump . (Mach.) (a) A kind of pump having a bucket, or valved piston, instead of a solid piston, for drawing water and lifting it to a high level . (b) A pump which lifts the water only to the top of the pump, or delivers it through a spout; a lift pump. -- Lifting rod , a vertical rod lifted by a rock shaft, and imparting motion to a puppet valve; -- used in the engines of river steamboats. -- Lifting sail (Naut.) , one which tends to lift a vessel's bow out of water, as jibs and square foresails.

Lig <Xpage=851>

Lig (?) , v. i. [See Lie to be prostrate.] To recline; to lie still. [Obs. or Scot.]

Chaucer. Spenser.

Ligament <Xpage=851>

Lig"a*ment (?) , n. [L. ligamentum , fr. ligare to bind; cf. f. ligament . Cf. Lien , n. , Ligature .] 1. Anything that ties or unites one thing or part to another; a bandage; a bond.

Hawthorne.

Interwoven is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts. Washington.

2. (Anat.) (a) A tough band or plate of dense, fibrous, connective tissue or fibrocartilage serving to unite bones or form joints. (b) A band of connective tissue, or a membranous fold, which supports or retains an organ in place; as, the gastrophrenic ligament , connecting the diaphragm and stomach .

Ligamental, Ligamentous <Xpage=851>

Lig`a*men"tal (?) , Lig"a*men"tous (?) , a. [Cf. F. ligamenteux .] Composing a ligament; of the nature of a ligament; binding; as, a strong ligamentous membrane .

Ligan <Xpage=851>

Li"gan (?) , n. [Cf. L. ligare to bind, to tie, ligamen band, bandage, E. ligament , or ligsam .] (Law) Goods sunk in the sea, with a buoy attached in order that they may be found again. See Jetsam and Flotsam . [Written also lagan .]

Blackstone.

Ligate <Xpage=851>

Li"gate (?) , v. t. [L. ligatus , p . p . of ligare .] To tie with a ligature; to bind around; to bandage.

<-- ((Molecular biology) To concatenate two strands of nucleic acid, usually DNA, in an end-to-end fashion, using a ligase. -->

Ligation <Xpage=851>

Li*ga"tion (?) , n. [L. ligatio , fr. ligare to bind. Cf. Liaison .] 1. The act of binding, or the state of being bound.

2. That which binds; bond; connection.

Tied with tape, and sealed at each fold and ligation . Sir W. Scott.

Ligator <Xpage=851>

Li*ga"tor (?) n. [See Ligate .] (Surg.) An instrument for ligating, or for placing and fastening a ligature.

Ligature <Xpage=851>

Lig"a*ture (?) , n. [L. ligatura , fr. ligare , ligatum , to bind: cf. f. ligature . Cf. Ally , League , Legatura , Liable , Legament .] 1. The act of binding.

2. Anything that binds; a band or bandage.

3. (Surg.) (a) A thread or string for tying the blood vessels, particularly the arteries, to prevent hemorrhage. (b) A thread or wire used to remove tumors, etc.

4. The state of being bound or stiffened; stiffness; as, the ligature of a joint .

5. Impotence caused by magic or charms. [Obs.]

6. (Mus.) A curve or line connecting notes; a slur.

7. (Print.) A double character, or a type consisting of two or more letters or characters united, as \'91 , &filig; , &ffllig; .

Ligature <Xpage=851>

Lig"a*ture (?) , v. t. (Surg.) To ligate; to tie.

Lige <Xpage=851>

Lig"e (?) , v. t. & i. To lie; to tell lies. [Obs.]

Ligeance <Xpage=851>

Li"geance (?) , n. [OF. ligeance , ligance . See Liege .] (O. Eng. Law) The connection between sovereign and subject by which they were mutually bound, the former to protection and the securing of justice, the latter to faithful service; allegiance. [Written also ligeancy and liegance .]

Chaucer.

Ligement <Xpage=851>

Lige"ment (?) , n. See Ledgment

Ligge <Xpage=851>

Lig"ge (?) , v. i. To lie or recline. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Ligger <Xpage=851>

Lig"ger (?) , n. 1. A baited line attached to a float, for night fishing. See Leger , a.

2. See Ledger , 2.

Light <Xpage=851>

Light (?) , n. [OE. light , liht , AS. le\'a2t ; akin to OS. lioht , D. & G. licht , OHG. lioht , Goth. liuhap , Icel. lj<?/s , L. lux light, lucere to shine, Gr. <?/ white, Skr. ruc to shine. <?/. Cf. Lucid , Lunar , Luminous , Lynx .] 1. That agent, force, or action in nature by the operation of which upon the organs of sight, objects are rendered visible or luminous.

&hand; Light was regarded formerly as consisting of material particles, or corpuscules, sent off in all directions from luminous bodies, and traversing space, in right lines, with the known velocity of about 186,300 miles per second; but it is now generally understood to consist, not in any actual transmission of particles or substance, but in the propagation of vibrations or undulations in a subtile, elastic medium, or ether, assumed to pervade all space, and to be thus set in vibratory motion by the action of luminous bodies, as the atmosphere is by sonorous bodies. This view of the nature of light is known as the undulatory or wave theory ; the other, advocated by Newton (but long since abandoned), as the corpuscular , emission , or Newtonian theory . A more recent theory makes light to consist in electrical oscillations, and is known as the electro-magnetic theory of light.

2. That which furnishes, or is a source of, light, as the sun, a star, a candle, a lighthouse, etc.

Then he called for a light , and sprang in. Acts xvi. 29.

And God made two great lights ; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. Gen. i. 16.

3. The time during which the light of the sun is visible; day; especially, the dawn of day.

The murderer, rising with the light , killeth the poor and needy. Job xxiv. 14.

4. The brightness of the eye or eyes.

He seemed to find his way without his eyes; For out o'door he went without their helps, And, to the last, bended their light on me. Shak.

5. The medium through which light is admitted, as a window, or window pane; a skylight; in architecture, one of the compartments of a window made by a mullion or mullions.

There were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks. I Kings vii.4.

6. Life; existence.

O, spring to light , auspicious Babe, be born ! Pope.