Outlast

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌaʊtˈlɑːst/

Definitions

1. To remain in existence or continue functioning longer than something else does
2. To endure or survive for a longer period than another entity or occurrence
3. To persist beyond the duration of another person or thing in time or functionality

Etymology: "Outlast" is about as plain as English compounds get: the prefix "out-" joined to the verb "last," so the sense is simply to endure beyond someone or something else. The verb "last" itself traces back through Middle English "lasten" and Old English "lǣstan," meaning to continue, follow a track, or go on, which is why the root sense is about persisting along a course rather than about time as such. The prefix has a longer pedigree. "Out" descends from a Proto-Germanic form meaning "out," and in Old English it already combined freely with verbs to mean going beyond or surpassing, so "outlast" fits a pattern that English speakers had been using for centuries. The newer compound adds nothing mysterious: it means "to last longer than," with the "out-" marking the outdoing.

Synonyms: survive, last longer than, outlive

Antonyms: expire, perish, fail