Contextualizebeta

lifespan

noun
/ˈlaɪf.spæn/

Etymology

From life + span.

  1. derived from *(s)pend-✻ — “to stretch”
  2. inherited from *spannō✻ — “span, handbreadth”
  3. inherited from spann
  4. inherited from spanne
  5. compounded as lifespan — “life + span”

Definitions

  1. The length of time for which an organism lives.

    • Meronym: healthspan
    • Some clams have lifespans far longer than those of human beings.
    • What the devil happened to my year? Another little digit on my lifespan, what a bore.

  2. The length of time for which something exists or is current, valid, or usable.

    • The virtual enterprise forum developed several "classical" management functions for which resources were available throughout its lifespan.
    • The reactor, located in the city of Fuqing city in China’s southeastern Fujian province, was designed to have a 60-year lifespan, with its core equipment domestically produced.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for lifespan. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA