life-support

[lahyf-suh-pawrt, -pohrt]

adjective

1. of or relating to equipment or measures that sustain or artificially substitute for essential body functions, as breathing or disposal of body wastes.

   Without life-support equipment, the patient might die.

2. of or relating to equipment or measures that provide, within a surrounding hostile environment, as outer space or ocean depths, a life-sustaining environment similar to that found on the earth's surface.

   the life-support system of a spacecraft or submarine.

3. of or relating to anything that fosters or sustains life, success, or continued existence, as of a person, thing, or nation.

   the life-support system of the economy.

life-support

adjective

1. of or providing the equipment required to sustain human life in an unnatural environment, such as in space, or in severe illness or disability

Word History and Origins

Origin of life-support¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

An NHS midwife is on life-support in Barbados after falling ill just one day into her dream holiday.

Read more on BBC

Wildfire safety experts hope the state someday adopts building standards for truly fire-proof structures that could withstand even the most extreme conditions and come equipped with life-support systems.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There was nothing more the medical team could do to save him so, two days later on 16 August 2021, his life-support machine was turned off.

Read more on BBC

For example, they could specify that they don't want to be put on life-support machines or insist that they want to be given adequate pain-relieving medication.

Read more on BBC

The IV saline, dextrose and sterile water fluids provide hydration before surgery or childbirth, as well as provide life-support for babies born prematurely and for others with life-threatening conditions like sepsis, a dangerous blood condition.

Read more on Salon