Lifes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A nonstandard spelling of the plural noun meaning more than one existence, as in the lives of several people
2. An informal misspelling used in place of the standard plural form meaning several lives or ways of living
3. A nonstandard plural spelling that people use for the standard word meaning the existences of many individuals

Etymology: "Lifes" is simply the plural of "life", formed by adding the regular English plural "-s". The plural of "life" is "lives", so "lifes" is a spelling mistake, not a separate word. "Life" descends from Old English "līf", which meant both "life" and "body". Its deeper root is a Proto-Germanic word "lībą" meaning "life, body", linked to a verb meaning "to remain, stay, be left". That verb-based sense suggests the original idea was something that persists or endures. Many related modern words survive in other Germanic languages, such as German "Leben" (life) and "Leib" (body), Dutch "leven" and "lijf", and Swedish "liv", which also means "waist" in some uses.