life history

American  

noun

Biology.

1. the series of living phenomena exhibited by an organism in the course of its development from inception to death.

2. life cycle.

---

life history British  

noun

1. the series of changes undergone by an organism between fertilization of the egg and death

2. the series of events that make up a person's life

---

Etymology

Origin of life history

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Yet so much of the media coverage around Kennedy, especially lately, has focused more on his personality and lurid life history rather than the chaos and destruction he has sown.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2025

The researchers tested their newly developed modelling approach on diadromous fish because very little is known about their at-sea life history stage and there is no existing model of their distribution.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2024

The authors also contest Herculano-Houzel's assumption that one can predict different dinosaurs' metabolisms, aging rates and other life history traits based on the existing data.

From Salon • May 4, 2024

"For several reasons I think that spear squid are an ideal organism to study how environmental and ecological conditions can affect life history."

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2024

Not all, of course, are suitable subjects for this technique, much depending on details of the life history, population density, and reactions to radiation.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson