lifeblood

life·blood

noun \ˈlīf-ˈbləd, -ˌbləd\

: the most important part of something : the part of something that provides its strength and energy

: a person's blood

Full Definition of LIFEBLOOD

1

:  blood regarded as the seat of vitality

2

:  a vital or life-giving force or component <freedom of inquiry is the lifeblood of a university>

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Examples of LIFEBLOOD

1. The town's lifeblood has always been its fishing industry.
2. The neighborhoods are the lifeblood of this city.
3. the lifeblood that flows through his veins

First Known Use of LIFEBLOOD

1579

Rhymes with LIFEBLOOD

at stud, bad blood, blue blood, disbud, earbud, full-blood, half-blood, hotblood, leaf bud, new blood, oxblood, redbud, rosebud, shed blood, smell blood, sweat blood