Words / B2

LYFSP-an/ˈlaɪfspæn/

A lifespan is how long a person, animal, or product typically lives or lasts: median lifespan; battery lifespan. Life expectancy is a population statistic; lifetime is one person’s span (already in the dictionary). Compare median lifespan in the two cohorts. Mix-up: lifestyle is how you live (already elsewhere). Do not treat a slogan as a measured lifespan.

Meaning

The length of time that a person, animal, or product typically lives or lasts.

Examples

• “Compare median lifespan in the two cohorts, not only life expectancy slogans.”
• “The probe’s lifespan is three years, which is the product sense.”

Good to know

a short / average / median lifespan; lifespan of + noun. Population: life expectancy. Trap: lifestyle. Biology and design. Typical duration, not a habit.

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