Lebenslangem

Lebenslangem is a grammatical form in the German language. It is the dative singular form of the attributive adjective lebenslang, meaning lifelong or lasting for the duration of a life. It appears before masculine or neuter nouns when there is no article or determiner, as in mit lebenslangem Vertrag. It is not a standalone word with its own lexical entry, but a declined form used in specific grammatical contexts.

Etymology and meaning: lebenslang is a compound of Leben (life) and lang (long). The term conveys duration that extends across a person’s life, and it is widely used in legal, administrative, and everyday language to describe obligations, rights, or conditions that persist for life.

Usage: lebenslangem is commonly encountered in phrases describing enduring arrangements. For example, in a sentence such as mit lebenslangem Vertrag, the contract lasts for the lifetime of the subject. Other contexts may include lifelong entitlements or protections described with similarly declined forms, such as lebenslangem Anspruch, depending on case and article usage. In determinate contexts with a definite article, other forms such as dem lebenslangen Vertrag or des lebenslangen Vertrags may appear, demonstrating the adjective’s declension patterns.

Declension notes: Like other German adjectives, lebenslang takes different endings according to gender, number, case, and whether a determiner is present. Lebenslangem is specifically the dative singular masculine/neuter form without a determiner; other forms include lebenslange, lebenslanges, lebenslangen, and so on, across different cases and nouns.