life peer
1
7.9
- noun
- /laɪf pɪə/
- UK
:
par vitalicio
- He served as a Member of Parliament from 1992 to 1997 and became a life peer in 2000.
Examples
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Our first guest is a life peer in the British House of Lords.
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Before we sign off, can you tell us which two life peers have the most hilarious titles?
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First off, Tony Blair appointed hundreds of life peers during his time in office, so the Lords are a lot less Conservative than they used to be.
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Lord Ahmed, a former fishmonger and Labour councilor from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was made a life peer in 1998.
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A life peer has a title that does not pass on to their children after they die.
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In the UK Parliament, a life peer serves as a member of the House of Lords but does not inherit their title.
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After receiving his title, the life peer participated actively in debates on important legislation.
Synonyms
335
4.8
A man who has a noble title and may sit in the House of Lords
48
8.6
A noble person with a title who sits in the House of Lords
1
9.9
A British noble who can sit in the House of Lords
A woman who has a noble title, often in Britain, or a woman whose husband was a noble
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a peer whose title lasts for their lifetime (not hereditary)' is directly derivable from combining 'life' (for the duration of one's life) with 'peer' (a noble). The modifier 'life' transparently limits the scope of 'peer' and this compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Life peer comes from a change when kings and queens began giving the title peer only for a person's life, not 'passed to children'. That's why a life peer is a noble whose title is 'not hereditary' and ends when they die.