survivorship

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   law and finance: the right of a surviving joint owner or beneficiary to receive property or benefits after another person's death

   The annuity gave each member a right of survivorship in the shares of members who died earlier.

2. 2
   noun

   the proportion or likelihood of individuals in a population surviving to a specified age or stage

   The study measured chick survivorship through the first winter.

3. 3
   noun

   the condition and experience of continuing to live after a serious illness, danger, or loss

   The clinic offers long-term support for cancer survivorship.

Formed from survivor + -ship. The legal sense developed for property and financial arrangements in which a survivor succeeds to another participant's interest; biological and medical uses extend the word to rates and experiences of survival.

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