Lifers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term for individuals sentenced to life in prison, often facing long durations of incarceration without the possibility of parole
2. People who have committed serious offenses and are serving life sentences, remaining confined for their entire lives
3. Referring to those incarcerated for life, typically due to severe crimes, thus spending the rest of their lives in prison

Etymology: "Lifers" is the plural of "lifer", a word formed in English by adding the suffix "-er" to "life". The "-er" ending has a long pedigree: it descends through Old French "-ier" from Latin "-arius", which denoted a person connected with something, and it arrived in Old English as "-ere", which was attached to many native nouns to name people or things associated with an activity or condition. Put together, "life" plus "-er" gives a straightforward compound, a person defined by a life-state, and the sense of "a prisoner serving a sentence for the rest of their days" grew naturally from the phrase "life sentence." The word is a plain English formation with no borrowed core, so its story lies in the ordinary workings of the suffix rather than in any dramatic shift of meaning.

Synonyms: long-term prisoners, inmates, convicts