Life Vest
/ˈlaɪf ˌvɛst/noun
A buoyant garment designed to help keep a person afloat in water.
Did you know?The word vest ultimately comes from Latin vestis, meaning “clothing,” while life descends from an ancient Germanic word for bodily existence or vitality.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷeyh₃-
“To live; the reconstructed root behind English life through Germanic development.”
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*lībą
“Life or living existence.”
Old English
Old English
līf
“Life, living condition, or bodily existence.”
Classical Latin
Latin
vestis
“A garment or item of clothing.”
Middle English
English
vest
“A sleeveless garment or piece of clothing, borrowed through French from Latin.”
Early 20th Century
English
life vest
“A buoyant garment intended to preserve life in water; the compound joins life with vest.”
Modern English
English
life vest
“A personal flotation device worn to help prevent drowning.”