Obs. exc. arch. Forms: see LIFE sb. and DAY sb. A day or some period of a man’s life; chiefly pl. (occas. sing.), a man’s life or lifetime, ‘(all) the days of (one’s) life.’ † To bring, do of life-day, to kill; † to leese one’s life-dawes, to die.
Beowulf, 1622 (Gr.). Se ellor-gast oflet lifdaʓas.
a. 900. Cynewulf, Crist, 1224. On hyra lif-daʓum.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 129. Her heo leueden al heore lifdaȝes on kare.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1139. Þe while þu art on lif-day.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 4119. Quiles him lesten liue daȝes.
c. 1275. Passion Our Lord, 84, in O. E. Misc., 39. Þet heo hyne myhte wreye and don of lyf-daȝe.
c. 1300. Vox & Wolf, 49, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 59. Thine lif-dayes beth al a-go.
13[?]. Sir Beues (A.), 4456. Beues … was islawe And ibrouȝt of his lif dawe.
c. 1325. Chron. Eng., 1006, in Ritson, Metr. Rom., II. 312. Therfore he les his lyf-dawes.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 293. And haiff he lyff-dayis.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 880. He … leues louely with hir all hys lyue days.
1454. Paston Lett., I. 278. Which affray shorttyd the lyffdayes of the sayd Phillippe.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. ccx. [ccvi.] 650. These lordes … acorded well toguyder all their lyue dayes.
1538. Duchess Norfolk, in Miss M. A. E. Wood, Lett. R. & Illustr. Ladies (1852), II. 368. As for my lord my husband, for his liveday I will never trust him.
1568. Hist. Jacob & Esau, V. ix. G ij. Ye know that now our life daies are but short.
1876. Morris, Sigurd (1887), 25. As a picture all of gold thy life-days shalt thou see.
