World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English Dictionariesauf Leben und Tod
Pronunciation / Transliteration: auf leːbn ʊnt toːt
"Es war ein Kampf auf Leben und Tod."
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
Of utmost gravity; crucial, critical, or determining whether someone lives or dies.
"The surgeons faced a life-or-death operation during the emergency." - 2
Extremely serious or momentous, where failure implies catastrophic consequences.
"Negotiators treated the diplomatic standoff as a life-or-death matter for the region."
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the juxtaposition of Old English 'līf' (life) and 'dēap' (death), connected by the preposition 'or'. The phrase evolved idiomatically to describe critical, high-stakes situations where survival hangs in the balance.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Life-or-death"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Life-or-death" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
quitte ou double
Transliteration: kit u dubl
Script: situation de vie ou de mort
"C'est une question de vie ou de mort."
auf Leben und Tod
Transliteration: auf leːbn ʊnt toːt
"Es war ein Kampf auf Leben und Tod."
di vita o di morte
Transliteration: di vita o di morte
"Questa è una questione di vita o di morte."
de vida o muerte
Transliteration: de vida o muerte
"Es una situación de vida o muerte."
de vida ou morte
Transliteration: de vida ou morte
"Foi uma emergência de vida ou morte."
जान-पहचान
Transliteration: jaan aur maut ka
Script: जान और मौत का
"यह जीवन और मरण का प्रश्न है।"
生死攸关
Transliteration: shēng sǐ yōu guān
"这是一个生死攸关的问题。"
생사의
Transliteration: saengsaui
"그것은 생사가 걸린 문제였다."
生死に関わる
Transliteration: seishi ni kakawaru
"それは生死に関わる重大な問題だ。"
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Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Life-or-death"
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