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lifeblood

[ lahyf-bluhd ]
/ ˈlaɪfˌblʌd /
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noun

the blood, considered as essential to maintain life: to spill one's lifeblood in war.
a life-giving, vital, or animating element: Agriculture is the lifeblood of the country.

RELATED WORDS

heart, growth, soul, activity, apotheosis, core, substance, nature, root, basis, character, element, crux, meaning, principle, aspect, reality, quality, spirit, structure

Nearby words

  1. life-size,
  2. life-support,
  3. life-support system,
  4. life-threatening,
  5. lifebelt,
  6. lifeboat,
  7. lifeboatman,
  8. lifecast,
  9. lifeful,
  10. lifeguard

Origin of lifeblood

First recorded in 1580–90; life + blood
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lifeblood

British Dictionary definitions for lifeblood

lifeblood

/ (ˈlaɪfˌblʌd) /

noun

the blood, considered as vital to sustain life
the essential or animating force
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lifeblood

lifeblood

n.

also life-blood, 1580s, "blood necessary for life," from life (n.) + blood (n.). Figurative and transferred use is from 1590s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper