Outlives

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To endure for a greater duration than another person or thing
2. To remain alive or present after the demise of something else
3. To continue existing or living for a longer time compared to another entity ; to continue to be alive or remain after something else has ended or died

Etymology: "Outlives" is the third-person singular form of "outlive," so the history belongs to the verb itself: it comes from Middle English "outliven," built from the prefix "out-" and the verb "live." The "out-" here carries the sense of going beyond or surpassing, so to outlive something is to live past it, continuing after another thing has ended. The pattern is a straightforward one. English has many verbs that pair "out-" with an existing verb to mean doing the action better, longer, or farther than someone or something else, such as "outrun," "outgrow," and "outwit." "Outlive" fits that family exactly, which is why its meaning is so transparent: the living continues beyond the point where the other thing stops.

Synonyms: survives, endures, outlasts

Antonyms: dies, perishes