take someone's life

1. Kill someone, as in They argued about invoking the death penalty for taking someone's life. [c. 1300]

2. take one's own life. Commit suicide, as in Most churches have long opposed taking one's own life. [First half of 1900s]

3. take one's life in one's hands. Take a serious risk, as in Climbing without oxygen is really taking your life in your hands.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
LÁZÁR	-	Hungarian
Bor	-	Slovene
Niviarsiaq	-	Native American, Greenlandic
Aaron	['ɛərən]
Serafima	sye-rah-FEE-mah (Russian), see-rah-FEE-mah (Russian), se-rah-FEE-mah (Macedonian)	Russian, Macedonian
Sabina	sah-BEE-nah (Italian, Spanish, Polish)	Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Ancient Roman