life-support system
noun
: an artificial or natural system that provides all or some of the items (such as oxygen, food, water, control of temperature and pressure, disposition of carbon dioxide and body wastes) necessary for maintaining life or health
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web First introduced in Spider-Man comics in the 1980s, Madame Web is a blind clairvoyant woman who lived in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web. 
Kevin Slane, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 In the Marvel comics, Madame Web is a clairvoyant mutant with powerful psychic abilities who lives in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2022 Whether in orbital habitats or on long-haul interplanetary voyages, plants could not only be sustainable food sources but also helpful components of a life-support system by virtue of producing oxygen and scrubbing the air of excess carbon dioxide. Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 2 June 2022 Dad is his final days, hooked up to a life-support system in the living room and being cared for by a longtime housekeeper (Kimberly Guerrero) and a friendly hospice worker (Gilbert Owuor). David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2022 And there would likely need to be some sort of redundancy, meaning if one part of the life-support system failed, a backup would kick in. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2022 Altogether, Seedhouse estimates a suit replete with a propulsion system, a fully redundant life-support system, and heat shield could weigh as much as 500 pounds. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2022 The crew will stay in orbit for three months, during which the life-support system and maintenance will be tested. Cnn Editorial Research, CNN, 19 Nov. 2021 Three Chinese astronauts returned in September from a successful 90-day visit to the station, spending their time checking Tianhe’s life-support system, going on spacewalks and deploying the module’s robotic arm. Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2021 See More
Kevin Slane, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 In the Marvel comics, Madame Web is a clairvoyant mutant with powerful psychic abilities who lives in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2022 Whether in orbital habitats or on long-haul interplanetary voyages, plants could not only be sustainable food sources but also helpful components of a life-support system by virtue of producing oxygen and scrubbing the air of excess carbon dioxide. Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 2 June 2022 Dad is his final days, hooked up to a life-support system in the living room and being cared for by a longtime housekeeper (Kimberly Guerrero) and a friendly hospice worker (Gilbert Owuor). David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2022 And there would likely need to be some sort of redundancy, meaning if one part of the life-support system failed, a backup would kick in. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2022 Altogether, Seedhouse estimates a suit replete with a propulsion system, a fully redundant life-support system, and heat shield could weigh as much as 500 pounds. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2022 The crew will stay in orbit for three months, during which the life-support system and maintenance will be tested. Cnn Editorial Research, CNN, 19 Nov. 2021 Three Chinese astronauts returned in September from a successful 90-day visit to the station, spending their time checking Tianhe’s life-support system, going on spacewalks and deploying the module’s robotic arm. Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1959, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
life-support system
noun
: a system that provides all or some of the items (as oxygen, food, water, and disposition of carbon dioxide and body wastes) necessary for maintaining life or health: as
a
: one used to maintain the health of a person or animal in outer space, underwater, or in a mine
b
: one used to maintain the life of an injured or ill person unable to maintain certain physiological processes without artificial support