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Anglo-Saxon

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líf

  • adverb
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Wright's OE grammar
§5; §126; §276; §294;
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the condition or attribute of being alive, animate existence ; opposed to death.
the condition, quality, or fact of being a living person or animal
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  • Hé of lífe gewát,

      B. 2471 : Edg. 29.

  • Hé

    (the Phenix)

    cymeð tó lífe,
      Ph. 367.
  • ¶ in phrases describing the Deity :-- Metod, lífes brytta,
      Gen. 122.
  • Lífes weard, 1426.
  • Lífes leóhtfruman, 1889.

  • Lífes ordfruma, Cri. 227. (I a) continuance or prolongation of animate existence; opposed to

    death

    :-- Lífes beám (cf. deáðes beám, 478),
      Gen. 468.

  • Lífes éðel (

    Eden

    ), 1576.

  • Hé áhte geweald lífes and deáðes,

      Gú. 495.

  • Þú lífes word lǽstan noldes, Cri. 1393. (I b)

    animate existence viewed as dependent on sustenance

    :-- Lífes tó leofne,
      An. 1125 : 1113.

  • Hwæfer bútan þé (

    the baker

    ) wé magon líf ádreógan?,
      Coll. M. 28, 27.
fig. a condition of power, activity, or happiness, in contrast to a condition conceived hyperbolically or
metaphorically as death: the state of existence of the souls of the blessed, in contrast with that of the lost
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  • Hé sóðfæstra sáwla lǽdeð on úprodor, þǽr is leóht and líf,

      Exod. 545.

  • Þonne líf and deáð sáwlum swelgað,

      Cri. 1603.

  • Naman áwritene on lífes béc,

      Hml. Th. i. 34, 8.

  • Lífes treó

    (the cross),

      El. 706.

  • Hé on þone hálgan beam áhongen wæs . . . , þǽr hé lífes ceápode moncynne,

      Cri. 1096 : 1367.

  • Lífes weg sécan

    to die and go to heaven.

      Ap. 31.

  • Lífes brúcan,

      An. 229.

  • Hé leóde lǽrde on lífes weg

    he showed them the way to heaven,

    170.

  • Lífes wísdóm

    saving knowledge,

      Cri. 1052.

  • Lífes leóht,

      Bt. 5, 3; F. 14, 13.
animate existence viewed as a possession of which one is deprived by death
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  • ꝥ is gít deórwyrþre þonne monnes líf,

      Bt. 10; F. 28, 38.

  • Sié Jó on cyninges dóme, swá deáð swá líf, swá hé him forgifan wille,

      Ll. Th. i. 66, 10.

  • Bið his líf scæcen,

      Vy. 39 : Víd. 142. ꝥ hé
    é

  • Þolige hé landes and lífes,

      358, 21.

  • Lífes lyre,

      Ph. 53.

  • Þá sáwla Þe Críst mid his ágenum lífe gebohte,

      Ll. Th. i. 304, 17.

  • Lífe gebeorgan,

      Hml. S. 5, 332.

  • Nelle ic him ꝥ líf on geniman,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 32, 33.

  • Líf oflǽtan,

      Gen. 1073.

  • His lif be his were man áliése, Ll. Th. i. 110, 8. (3 a) be íife on pain of losing life :--

    Ic

    beóde eallum mínum geréfum . . . be heora ágenum life.
      Cht. E. 230, 29. (3 b) in adjuration, asseveration, &c. :-- Se
    þeóden mec þíne lífe heálsode, B. 2131.
the cause or source of living; the vivifying or animating principle
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  • þæs líchoman líf is seó sáwl, and þǽre sáwle lif is God,

      Hml. Th. i. 160, 7.

  • Sáwelleásne, lífe belidenes lie,

      El. 878.

  • Sundur gedǽlan líf wið líce

    to separate body and soul,

      B. 2423.

  • Of þæs weres handa ic ofgange þæs mannes líf

    de manu viri requiram animam hominis,

      Gen. 9, 5.

  • Líf

    spiraculum i. animam (exhalavit),

      An. Ox. 2822.
a living person (?)
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  • Wite þú, lá arwurða líf (= leóf?),

      Angl. viii. 334, 34.
with reference to duration,
the animate terrestrial existence of an individual with regard to its duration, the period from birth to death
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  • Swá lange swá mé líf gelǽst,

      Ll. Th. i. 276, 29.

  • Lytle hwíle sceolde hé his lífes niótan,

      Gen. 486.

  • Gif me Drihten an le. ignin lífes, 1841 : Cri. 1323.Lífes æt ende,

      B. 2823.

  • Þára þe hyra lífes þurh lust brúcan,

      Gú. 388.
  • On hira lifes tíd, 766 : El. 1209.

  • Oft getímað yfelum teala for lífe

    often it goes well With the wicked while he lives,

      Hml. Th. i. 332, 15.

  • On lífe . . . æfter his dæge

    during his lifetime . . . after his death,

      Ll. Th. i. 298, 9.

  • Ge on lífe ge on legere,

      306, 22 : 184, 13.

  • Seó on life wæs wintrum yldre

    she was at a more advanced lime of lífe,

      Gen. 2610.

  • Hí lífa gehwæs lengu wealdeð, Gú. 483. ¶ Ná on lífe

    never

    :-- Ne gewurðe hit ná on lífe ꝥ wé álecgan úre wulder mid earhlicum fleáme,
      Hml. S. 25, 660.
  • III. course, condition, or manner of living.
the series of actions and occurrences constituting the history of an individual front birth to death. In a generalized sense,
the course of human existence from birth to death
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  • Þá hálgan hádas þe Godes folc lǽran scylan lífes bysne,

      Ll. Th. i. 244, 10.

  • Hé ongan ácsian be þæs scóhwyrhtan lífe,

      Gr. D. 322, 5. ꝥ

  • Se wísa mon eall his líf lǽt on gefeán,

      Bt. 12; F. 36, 24.

  • Þá hwíle þe ic on þisum lýcuman and þisse weorulde sié fultuma mé þæt ic simle þone rǽd árædige ðe mé for þám lýfum best sí,

      Solil. H. 13, 25. (I a)
    where the life is recorded in a book :-- Be hálgum lífe hi[re] béc de conversatione illius opuscnla, An. Ox. 4533.

    Sc̃e

    Ceaddan líf Béda wrát on Angelcynnes bócum,
      Shrn. 59, 11.

  • Þeáh hí eall hiora líf and hiora dǽda áwriten hæfden,

      Bt. 18, 3 ; F. 64, 36.
with reference to either of the two states of human existence separated by death
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  • God þá gehealde for bǽm lífum,

      C. D. ii. 132, 19.
(thi s)
life
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  • Þis deáde líf, lǽne on londe,

      Scef. 65.

  • Adam hæfde xxx and c lífes wintra on worulde,

      Gen. 1120: D. 197.
  • Ende lǽnan lífes, 2845.
  • Ende worolde lífes, 1387 : 2343: Gú. 904.

  • Eorþan lífes ende, Leás, 47, Hér on lífe (

    in hac vita

    )húusies beón wyrðe,
      Ll. Th. i. 372. 35 : Seel. 150.

  • Is seó bót æt þé gelong æfter [lí]fe,

      Hy. 4, 110. (See Mod. Lang. Rev. 12, 71.
  • ) Þis deorce líf, Wand.
      89.
(the next) life
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  • Hwonne him betre líf ágyfen wurde,

      Gú. 751.
  • Hálig gǽst geháteð him lífes ræste, 334.

  • Hú monna gehwylc ǽr earnode éces lífes,

      Cri. 1052.

  • Tó þám úplican lífe,

      An. Ox. 2214.

  • Se rinc sóhte óðer líf, Gen. 1627. (2 a) with reference to states separated by conversion :-- þæs ealdan lífes yfelnesse

    ueteris uitae malitia,

      An. Ox. 40, 24.
a particular manner or course of living
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  • Þæs nyþeran lífes,

      An. Ox. 594.

  • Hád hálgan lífes,

      Dan. 300.

  • Tó rihtum lífe,

      Ll. Th. i. 36, 18.

  • Libban clǽnan lífe,

      272, 16.

  • Mid þweorum life,

      Bd. 5, 13; Sch. 642, 7.

  • Orsorg líf lǽdan,

      Met. 7, 40.

  • Hwá unclǽnnisse líf álífde, Dóm. 63 : Mód. 48. (3 a)

    life spent in a particular kind of work :-- .ii. weras in liífe and in háde háliges drohtoðes duo viri in vita atque habitu sanctae conversationis, Gr. D. 205, 16, On ancersetle and life geseted in anchoreiica uita, Bd. 5, I ; Sch. 549, 3. (3 aa) the place in which such a life is passed

    :-- He árǽrde him munuclíf (cf. hé gestaðelode him mynster,
      Hml. S. 31 312) . . . þæt mynster hé gelógode mid wellybbendum mannum . . . Næs heora nánum álýfed on ðám lífe ǽnig cræft búton hálgum gebedum and heora gewritum, Hml. Th. ii. 506, 14-20 : C. D. iii. 117, 25 (in Dict. )
the active pleasures or pursuits of the world
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  • Ǽghwylc ælda bearna forliéte ídle lustas, lǽne lífes wynne,

      Sch. 100.
phrases with prepositions,
on lífe
alive
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  • Nis ǽni man on lífe þe ǽfre gehýrde

    . . . ,
      Ll. Th. i. 184, 10.
tó life
alive
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  • Hé áxode hwí hig heóldon þá wífnem tó lífe

    cur feminas reservastis

    ?,
      Num. 31, 15.

  • Dém þú hí tó deáðe, swá tó life lǽt, swá þé leófre sý

    condemn her to death or leave her alive, as you would liever,

      Jul. 88.

  • Þá þe him tó lífe (

    when living)

    láðost wǽron cwicera cynna,
      Jud. 323.

  • V. adv. gen. lífes alive :-- Hé bið lang lífes

    vitalis erit,

      Lch. iii. 156, 18, 23.

  • Unlǽde bið on eorðan, unnyt lífes . . . sé þurh þone cantic ne can Críst geherian,

      Sal. 21.
    (For other instances see Dict. )
Similar entries
v. á- (Verc. Först. 108, 15), cot-, eyre-, gód-, nunn-, preóst-, riht-, stoc-, un-líf; un-lífes.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “líf.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/54620.

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  • líf, adv.

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