joint-life
|joint-life|
/ˈdʒɔɪntˌlaɪf/
two lives treated together for insurance/annuity purposes
Etymology
'joint-life' originates as a modern compound formed from 'joint' and 'life'. 'Joint' ultimately comes from Old French 'joint' (past participle of 'joindre') and Latin 'iunctus' (from 'iungere', 'to join'), where the root meant 'joined' or 'together'; 'life' comes from Old English 'līf' meaning 'life'.
The compound 'joint-life' arose in English usage as a technical financial/insurance term in the 18th–19th centuries by combining 'joint' + 'life' to describe policies or annuities involving more than one life; over time it became standard insurance vocabulary (e.g., 'joint-life policy', 'joint-life annuity').
Originally the elements meant simply 'joined' + 'life' (a shared or combined life concept); it evolved into a specialized term referring to insurance/annuity arrangements tied to the lives of two or more people, often with specific rules about when benefits are paid (first death or last survivor).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an insurance policy covering two (or more) people in which the policy's benefit is linked to the insured lives—commonly a policy that pays out on the first death among the insured.
They bought a joint-life policy to ensure the surviving spouse would have immediate funds after the first death.
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Noun 2
a financial product term (often in annuities/pensions) referring to the arrangement for two lives used to calculate payments or benefits, e.g., joint-life annuity which links payments to the joint lives of the annuitants.
The advisor explained how a joint-life annuity would affect monthly payments once one annuitant died.
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Adjective 1
used to describe a policy, annuity, or measure that involves two or more lives together (e.g., joint-life policy).
They opted for a joint-life annuity rather than two separate single-life annuities.
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Last updated: 2025/12/18 18:32