life preserver

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life preserver,

a personal flotation device (PFD) intended to keep the wearer afloat, particularly in case of shipwreck. A Type I PFD will keep even unconscious people afloat in a face–up position; it is the most common type used at sea. Another common type, developed during World War II for fliers and called the Mae West (named for the actress because of its shape), is made of inflatable rubber; it is still carried on commercial aircraft. Other types of life preservers are meant to be used only as a stopgap by a conscious wearer; these take the form of rings, cushions, or vests, and are either inflatable or filled with buoyant material such as unicellular foam, fibrous glass, or kapok. The large balsa wood life rafts once carried by all ships have been replaced by canisters containing inflatable life rafts capable of holding from four to twenty-four people. Most countries require that ships, and airplanes crossing the water, must carry life preservers and that crew and passengers must be drilled in their use.

life preserver

[′līf pri‚zər·vər]

(engineering)

A buoyant device that is used to prevent drowning by supporting a person in the water.

life preserver

US and Canadian a life belt or life jacket

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Mentioned in ?

kapok

References in periodicals archive ?

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Every day he oversaw the packing of 40-to-50 life preservers and life rafts, and he was CDQAR for many of them.

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When Isenstein is inside the work, as she was, with short breaks, on most days of the exhibition's run, one fishnet-clad leg dangles over the sculpture's pedestal, and one arm protrudes, holding a life preserver printed with the words WISHIN' I WAS FISHIN'; in her absence, another preserver (GONE FISHING) is set atop the object.

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With this comprehensive text, Whitla (English and Humanities, York University) throws a life preserver to literature students (especially beginners).

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"He's throwing out a life preserver and I'm going to grab it," the bishop said.

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They threw a life preserver and ropes to her, but she could not save herself.

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Auctioneers are expecting a "huge amount" of interest for what they say is the "most important life preserver in any private or public collection".