lifeline

英['laɪflaɪn] 美['laɪf'laɪn]

1. a crease on the palm; its length is said by palmists to indicate how long you will live

2. support that enables people to survive or to continue doing something (often by providing an essential connection);

"the airlift provided a lifeline for Berlin"

"she offered me a lifeline in my time of grief"

3. line that raises or lowers a deep-sea diver

4. line thrown from a vessel that people can cling to in order to save themselves from drowning