lifeboat
noun
- vessel mounted on a parent vessel to save the lives of those on board in the event of sinking
- vessels maintained in readiness to save lives in emergency
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪfˌbəʊt/ / /ˈlaɪfˌboʊt/
noun
Etymology: From life + boat.
- A boat especially designed for saving the lives of shipwrecked people or people in distress at sea (either launched from the shore with a crew, or else carried on board a larger ship).
“I've got a watch that turns into a lifeboat”
“In a corner of the churchyard, where old headstones mark the graves of many mariners, is a striking white statue of a lifeboatman, erected as a memorial to three members of the local lifeboat crew who lost their lives in 1916 while trying to reach a ship in distress.”
- An emergency vehicle carried aboard a spaceship.
verb
Etymology: From life + boat.
- To rescue; to carry to safety