I.ifc-preserver. 
life-preserver 
life-preserver (\\('\<r<---/.,--r ver), . 1. An ap- 
paratus of various forms, us a buoyant jacket 
or belt, or a complete dress, de- 
signtMl for the preservation of the 
lives of persons who, froin .ship- 
wreck or other cause, are com- 
pelled to trust themselves to the 
water. 2. A weapon, as a pis- 
tol, or specifically a short stick 
with a loaded head, used for de- 
fense against assailants. 
lifer (li'fer), n. One who receives 
or has received a sentence of pe- 
nal servitude for life. [Slang.] 
They know what a clever lad he Is ; hell be a lifer; 
they'll make the Artful nothing less than H lifer. 
Dickeiu, Oliver Twist, xliL 
l.ifm cannot claim any remission, but their cases are 
brought forward at the end of twenty years, and consid- 
ered on their merit*. Kncyc. Brit., XIX. 766. 
life-raft (lif 'raft), n. Naut., a raft-like construc- 
tion designed to save life in case of shipwreck. 
That In most general use is composed of two water-tight 
cylinders of wood or metal, or of Inflated India-rubber, con- 
nected by a wooden framework, and furnished with appli- 
ances for rowing and steering. 
life-rate (lif'rat), n. The rate of payment on 
a policy of life-insurance, 
life-rendering (lif 'ren'der-ing), o. Yielding up 
life. [Rare.] 
To his good friends thus wide 111 ope my arms, 
And, like the kind life. rendering pelican, 
Kepastthem with my blood. Shak., Hamlet, Iv. 6. 146. 
life-rent (lif'rent), n. A rent which one is en- 
titled to receive for life, usually for support; 
a right which entitles a person to use and en- 
joy property during life, without destroying or 
wasting it. 
life-renter (lif'ren'ter), n. A person who en- 
joys a life-rent. 
llfe-rentrix (lif'ren'triks), . A woman who 
enjoys a life-rent. 
Lady Margaret Bellenden, . . . Hfe-rentrix of the bar- 
ony of Tillletudlem. Scott, Old Mortality, il. 
life-rocket (Hf'rok'et), n. A rocket used to 
convey a rope to a vessel in distress, so as to 
establish communication between it and the 
shore. 
liferoot (lif 'r8t), n. The golden ragwort, Sene- 
cio aureus : so named on account of supposed 
vulnerary and other properties. 
life-saving (Hf'sa'ving), a. Designed to save 
life ; especially, designed to save those who are 
in danger of drowning. Life-saving apparatus, 
all the materials, tools, and appliances useilfor tne rescue 
of human life endangered by shipwreck or by flre, such as 
life-boat*, wreck-ordnance, llue-carrying projectiles, shot- 
lines, faklng-boxes, life-cars, breeches-buoys, transporta- 
tion-carts, life-buoys, life-preservers, hawsers, whip-line*, 
etc. Life-saving gun, a light piece of ordnance used to 
shoot line-carrying projectiles from the shore to vessels In 
distress, to establish communication between them and 
the shore. Life-saving mortar, a small mortar fitted 
for throwing a hooked projectile with a line attached 
from the shore to a ship. See l(fe-8avin<j service. Life- 
saving projectile, a projectile which Is used for the 
rescue of human life imperiled by flre or shipwreck. 
Life-saving service, an organization for saving the 
lives of persons shipwrecked within reach of aid from the 
shore ; In the United states, a division of the Treasury De- 
partment of the national government, having stations at 
short Intervals along the shores of the ocean and the great 
lakes, provided with crews and life-saving appliances of 
all kinds. Similar organizations in other countries are 
chielly maintained by voluntary private agencies. 
life's-blood (lifs'blud), n. See life-blood, '2 and 3. 
life-shot (lif 'shot), n. A shot or bullet carry- 
ing a line, used in the same way and for the 
same purpose as a life-rocket. 
life-signal (lif'sig'nal), n. In a life-saving buoy, 
a device for producing an inextinguishable 
chemical light, which is kindled automatically 
by the cutting loose of the buoy. 
life-size (lif'siz), a. Of the same size as the 
(living) object portrayed. 
The Roman senate decreed that \\ialife-fize statue should 
be sculptured and set up upon the Capitoline. 
C. C. Perkins, Italian Sculpture, Int, p. llx. 
lifesome (lif'sum), a. [< life + -some.] Ani- 
mated; gay; lively. [Rare.] 
I wish for your sake I could be 
More Hfeaoine and more gay. 
Coleridge, Three Grave*. 
life-spot (lif spot), n. In whaling, the vulner- 
able point behind the fin into which the lance is 
thrust to reach the "life" and kill the whale. 
lifespring (lif 'spring), n. The spring or source 
of life ; anything regarded as essential to the 
sustentation of the life of either the body or the 
soul. Imp. Diet. 
lifestring (lif 'string), . A nerve or string in 
the body imagined to be essential to life; hence, 
in the plural, the essential supports of life. 
3443 
Breaking thy velnes and thy life-ttrinyet w' like pain ft 
grief. & r. Jon, Work*, iT 77. 
These line* are the rein*, the arteries. 
The undecaylng Hfeltringtot those heart*. Daniel. 
life-table (lif'ta'bl), n. A statistical table 
exhibiting the probable proportion of persons 
who will live to reach different ages. 
life-tenant (lif'ten'ant), n. The owner of a 
life-estate; one who holds lands, etc., for the 
term of his own or another's life. 
lifetime (lif'tim), . The time that one's life 
continues; duration of life. 
And that Cnppe the Hone srhalle kepe to drynken of, 
alle his Kftyme, in remembrance of hl Fadir. 
MandeviUe, Travel*, p. 810. 
Let me for this life-time reign a* king. 
Shalt., S Hen. VI., L L 171. 
life- weary (lif'wer'i), a. Tired of life; weary 
of living. 
Let me have 
A dram of poison, . . . 
That the life-weary taker may fall dead. 
Shot., K. and .1., v. 1. 02. 
life-work (lif ' werk), n. The work of a lif etinie ; 
the employment or labor to which one's life is 
or has been devoted. 
liflodet, n. See lifelode. 
liflyt, adv. An obsolete form of lively. 
lift' (lift), n. [< ME. lift, luff, lyft, < AS. lyft 
= OS. luft = D. luclit = MLG. lucht, luft, LG. 
luft = OHO. MHG. G. luft = Icel. lopt (pron. 
loft) = Dan. Sw. luft = Goth, lufttu, the air, 
the sky: the orig.Teut. word for 'air, and not 
found outside of Teut. Hence, through Scand., 
lif ft, loft, lofty, aloft, etc.] The air; the atmo- 
sphere ; the sky ; the heavens. [Now only prov. 
Eng. and Scotch.] 
When the lift grew dark, and the wind blew loud, 
And gurly grew the sea. 
.SW Patrick Spent (Chad's Ballads, III. 154). 
It Is the moon, I ken her horn, 
That's liliukin In the lift sae hie. 
Burns, Oh, Willie Brew'd a Peck o' Maut. 
lift 2 (lift), r. [< ME. liften, lyfteu (pret. lift, 
lyft), < Icel. lypta (pron. lyfta) (= Sw. lyfta = 
Dan. lofte, lift, MHG. G. luften), lift, air, lit. 
'raise in air,' < lopt (pron. loft) = Sw. Dan. luft 
= MHG. G. luft = AS. lyft, lift, the air: see 
lift 1 .} I. traits. 1. To move or heave upward 
in space; bring to a higher place or position; 
raise ; elevate : often followed by up : as, to lift 
a stone from the ground: to lift up one who has 
fallen. 
Whan he was upon his Conrsere, and wente to the Cas- 
telle, and entred in to the Cave, the Dragoun //"'' up hire 
Hed azenst him. MandrriUe, Travels, p. 24. 
He lift up his spear against eight hundred. 
2 Sara, xxiii. 8. 
He rises on the toe ; that spirit of his 
In aspiration l(ft.* him from the earth. 
Shot., T. and C., IT. 6. la 
Take her up tenderly, 
L\lt her with care. Hood, Bridge of Sighs. 
2. To bring to a higher degree, rank, or con- 
dition ; make more lofty or considerable ; ele- 
vate ; exalt ; raise to a high or a higher pitch or 
state of feeling, as the voice, the mind, etc. 
In those means which he [God] by law did establish as 
being Attest unto that end, for us to alter any thing is to 
lijl up ourselves against Clod, and as it were to counter- 
mand him. Hooker, Eccle*. Polity, ill. 10. 
His [Joseph's) envious brethrens treacherous'drlft 
Him to the Stern of Memphlan State had lift. 
Sylvester, tr. of Dn Bartas's Weeks, L 7. 
And Jacob . . . lifted up hi* voice, and wept. 
Gen. xxix. 11. 
Hftnl at length, by dignity of thought 
And dint of genius, to an affluent lot 
Camper, Table-Talk, L 676. 
I remember Penn before hi* accusers, and Fox In the 
ball dock, where he wa> lit'i,;i up In spirit, as he tell* us, 
and the Judge and the Jury became as dead men under 
hi* feet. Lamb, Ella, p. 54. 
3. To keep elevated or exalted ; hold up ; dis- 
play on high : as, the mountain lifts its head 
above the clouds. 
We*aw 
The long-roofed chapel of King'* College lift 
Turret* and pinnacle* In answering flies, 
W ordnmrth. Prelude, HI. 
And, in dark firmaments of leaves, 
The orange lytt its golden moons. 
Lowell, An Invitation. 
4. To take away; steal. See/i/if3. [Colloq.] 
5. In mining, same as draw, 30. 6. To gather; 
collect: as, to h/t rents. 7t. To carve (a swan). 
Lyft that swanne. Babret Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 266. 
8t. To bear ; support. 
Bo downe he fell, that th' earth him underneath 
Did grone, as feeble so great load to lift. 
Sptraer, F. Q., I. il. 54. 
lift 
To lift one's gralth. See graith. To lift one's hair, 
BMBOMi S* / nwUi ' - To lilt the crib. 
< treat Lakes tilburies, to gather In the netting of a 
crib or bowl of a pound-net ; haul the pound, a* would be 
said In New England. To lift up the eyes, to look; 
raise the eye* ; direct one'* eye*, or, figuratively, one'* 
thought*. 
I will lift up mine eyei unto the hills, from whence 
coineth my help. P*. cud. 1. 
To lift up the head, to rejoice or exult. 
Then look up, and lift up your headt; for your redemp- 
tion draweth nigh. Luke xxi. 28. 
To lift HP tne horn. In Scrip., to vaunt one'* *elf; be- 
have arrogantly. 
I said unto the fool*. Deal not fool!hly ; and to the 
wicked, Lift not up the horn. IX Ixxv. 4. 
= Syn. 1 and 2. lloitt, Ueaae, etc. See raue. 
il. intrans. 1. To raise or endeavor to raise 
something; exert the strength for the purpose 
of raising something. 
The mind, by being engaged In a task beyond It* 
strength, like the body (trained by lifting at a weight too 
heavy, ha* often Its force broken. Locke. 
2. To rise or seem to rise; disappear In the air: 
as, the fog lifts. 
Mo gladller doe* the stranded wreck 
See thro' the gray skirts of a lifting squall 
The boat that bear* the hope of life approach. 
Tennyson, Enoch Arden. 
3. Naut., to shake lightly in the wind: said of 
a sail when the wind blows on its edge at too 
small an angle to fill it TO lift for dealing, In 
card-playing, to draw or cut for deal. Ilallimtt. 
lift- (lift), n. (<liftv, .] 1. The act or manner 
of lif ting or raising; a raising or rising up; ele- 
vation. 
In race* it 1* not the large stride or high l(ft that make* 
the speed. Bacon, Dispatch (ed. 1887). 
A l\ft of the fog favored us at last, and we ran into the 
little harbor. B. Taylor, Northern Travel, p. 15. 
Paris had received one of those momentary liftt of which 
she went through several before her final exaltation. 
B. A. Freeman, Venice, p. 8. 
Some boughs of the maples were beginning to lo*e the 
elastic upward liji of their prime, and to hang looser and 
liraper with the burden of tneir foliage. 
Ilmctttt, Annie Kllburn, XT. 
2. Assistance by, or by means of, lifting; hence, 
assistance in general; a helping hand: as, to 
give one a lift (a help on one's way) in a wagon. 
Much watching of Louisa, and much subsequent obser- 
vation of her Impenetrable demeanour, which keenly 
whetted and sharpened Mrs. Sparsit's edge, must have 
given her, a* It were, a lift In the way of Inspiration. 
Dickent, Hard Time*, II. 10. 
A lady In a dog-cart warned us of rain, and ottered us a 
lift, which we refused heroically. 
Harper-i Mag., LXXVII. 946. 
3. A rise; degree of elevation; extent of rise, 
or distance through which anything is raised. 
All of these valves have cage* In which they work and 
which also act as stops, which prevent them from rising 
from their seats further than a certain distance. This 
distance is called their lift, and the successful working of 
the pumps depends very much on the amount of liji which 
the valves have. Forney, Locomotive, p. 117. 
Here and there In the land were sharp liftt where rocks 
cropped out, making miniature cliffs overhanging some 
portion* of the brook'* course. The Century, XXXI. 108. 
Specifically (a) The extent of rise In a canal lock : as, a 
lift of ten feet. (6) In mining: (1) The dlntance from one 
level to another. (2) The distance through which the pes- 
tle of an ore-stamp rises and falls. 
4. A rise in state or condition ; promotion ; 
advancement: as, to get a lift in the army for 
bravery. 5. Elevation of style or sentiment; 
action of lifting or elevating, as the mind. 
[Rare.] 
The voice of the orator ceased, and there wa perfect *l- 
lence. It seemed as If It could never be broken. The lift 
was altogether too great for Immediate applause. 
Jonah Quincy, Figures of the Past, p. 109. 
6. Anything which assists in lifting, or by which 
Objects are lifted. Specifically -<a) A hoWtng-ma- 
chlne or other device for raising or lowering persons or 
thing* vertically from a lower to a higher level or vice 
vena. (See elerator, 4.) A lift In a canal is a large ma- 
chine-elevator sometimes used Instead of a lock. 
The Times establishment Is altogether too conservative 
to Introduce elevator* except In their publication depart- 
ment, where the l\ft are employed for carrying the forms 
up and down and for similar heavy work. 
T. C. Crawford, English Life, p. 110. 
An elaborate arrangement of liflt by which actor* can 
suddenly appear or vanish through the stage floor. 
Kncye. Brit., XXIII. 226. 
(6) In mining, a set of pump*. 
The separate pomp* In an engine-shaft are placed one 
above another ; each set constitutes a lift, and the water is 
raised from the sump or fork to the surface by several 
repetitions of the same process. 
Cotton, Lectures on Mining (tr. Le Jfeve Foster and 
[Galloway X II. 350. 
(r) A handle, knob, or other device attached to window* 
and window-blinds to afford a hold In railing or lowering 
them. Car-BuUder't Diet, (d) One of the steps or groove* 
of a cone-pulley. The speed of the hoist 1* varied by 
changing the belt from lift to lift () The long stock or 
