life-size
UK[ˈlaɪf saɪz]US[ˈlaɪf saɪz]
adj
Being the same size as the person or thing represented
Morpheme Breakdown
life
size
life
the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter
size
ordinance, act of fixing
Etymology
The compound adjective 'life-size' is a transparent combination of two native English roots. 'Life', from Old English 'līf', carries its core meaning of animate existence. 'Size', entering English from Old French, evolved from a legal term for a fixed ordinance to its modern sense of dimensions. The compound emerged in the 19th century, directly and logically describing a representation—such as a statue, portrait, or model—whose dimensions are fixed to match those of the living original. It exemplifies a common English compounding pattern where 'life-' attributes a realistic, true-to-nature quality to the following noun.
Analysis
Structure: life + size
- life: From Old English 'līf', of Germanic origin, related to Dutch 'lijf' and German 'Leib'. Functions as a noun root meaning 'the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter'.
- size: From Old French 'sise', a shortening of 'assise', meaning 'ordinance, act of fixing'. It entered English via Anglo-French legal term 'assise' (session, regulation). Functions as a noun root meaning 'relative dimensions, magnitude'.
Examples
The museum displayed a life-size replica of a woolly mammoth.
She posed for a life-size portrait that took the artist months to complete.
The children were amazed by the life-size cartoon character at the theme park.