What is the meaning of life? The answer is 5000 years old: it originates from the Proto-Indo-European word ‘*lip’ meaning, ‘to remain, persevere and continue’. The word was adopted into Old English as ‘līf’ about 1500 years ago, which also meant 'body' (like its Germanic predecessor).

In Middle English, ‘life’ began to mean not only the living organism itself, but the cause or source of living: ‘life’ became a possession taken away by death.

https://thecopy.team/blog/origin-word-life-copy-team-etymology-series/