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Origin and history of survive

survive(v.)

mid-15c. (implied in surviving), transitive, "outlive, live longer than, continue in existence after some point in time or the death of another," originally in the legal (inheritance) sense, from Anglo-French survivre, Old French souvivre (12c., Modern French survivre), from Late Latin supervivere "live beyond, live longer than," from super "over, beyond" (see super-) + Latin vivere "to live" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live").

The intransitive sense "live on, remain in existence" is from late 15c. Related: Survived.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to survive

survivable(adj.)

"capable of being survived," 1961, of automobile wrecks, from survive + -able. Earlier "capable of surviving," 1879.

survival(n.)

1590s, "act of surviving or outliving; continuation after some event," from survive + -al (2). It is attested by 1716 as "one who or that which outlasts or continues after."

The phrase survival of the fittest (1864) was used by Spencer in place of Darwin's natural selection to explain the continued existence of forms of a living thing best fitted to their conditions, and the disappearance of others.

Other nouns from survive included survivance (1620s); survivorship (1620s) seems limited to legal use.

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survivor
c. 1500, in legal language, "one who or that which outlives another," agent noun in Latin form from survive. In general use, "anything left or living after the death of another or others." The meaning "one who has a knack for pulling through adversity" is attested from 1971. Rela
exist
"to have actual being of any kind, actually be at a certain moment or throughout a certain period of time," c. 1600, from French exister (17c.), from Latin existere/exsistere "to step out, stand forth, emerge, appear; exist, be" (see existence). "The late appearance of the word i
live
Middle English liven, from Old English lifian (Anglian), libban (West Saxon) "to be, be alive, have life; continue in life; to experience," also "to supply oneself with food, procure a means of subsistence; pass life in a specified fashion," from Proto-Germanic *libejanan (source
mealy-mouthed
sweet," from Proto-Germanic *meduz "honey" (see mead (n.1)), which suits the sense, but if the Old English word did not survive...
wonder
use (It wonders me that "I wonder why ...") was common in Middle English and as late as Tyndale (1533), and is said to survive...
palestra
gymnasium, public place for exercise under official direction," originally "wrestling school," from palaiein "to wrestle, survive...
doff
However, dout and dup did not survive. Related: Doffed; doffing....
subsist
1540s, "to exist, have reality;" c. 1600, "to remain, continue, retain the existing state," from French subsister and directly from Latin subsistere "to stand still or firm, take a stand, take position; abide, stay, remain, hold out," from sub "under, up to" (see sub-) + sistere
hold-up
also holdup, 1837, "a stoppage or check," from verbal phrase (see hold (v.) + up (adv.)). The verbal phrase is from late 13c. as "to keep erect; support, sustain;" 1580s as "endure, hold out;" 1590s (intransitive) as "to stop, cease, refrain;" 1860 as "to stay up, not fall." The
recover
c. 1300, recoveren, "to regain consciousness," also "regain health or strength after sickness, injury, etc.," from Anglo-French rekeverer (13c.), Old French recovrer "come back, return; regain health; procure, get again" (11c.), from Medieval Latin recuperare "to recover" (source

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