living will

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living will

n.
A document in which the signer states his or her wishes regarding medical treatment that sustains or prolongs life, especially by invasive or extraordinary means, for use if the signer becomes mentally incompetent or unable to communicate.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

living will

n
(Law) a document stating that if its author becomes terminally ill, his or her life should not be prolonged by artificial means, such as a life-support machine
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

liv′ing will′


n.
a document in which a person stipulates that no extraordinary measures are to be used to prolong his or her life in the event of a terminal illness.
[1965–70]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.living will - a document written by someone still legally capable requesting that he should be allowed to die if subsequently severely disabled or suffering terminal illnessliving will - a document written by someone still legally capable requesting that he should be allowed to die if subsequently severely disabled or suffering terminal illness; "after he discovered he had AIDS he drew up a living will"
legal document, legal instrument, official document, instrument - (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

liv·ing will

n. testamento hecho por una persona en completo estado de salud en el que dispone que en caso de peligro de muerte no se use ningún medio artificial para prolongarle la vida.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

living will

n testamento vital
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive
(9.) Diana Anderson, Review of Advance Health Care Directive Laws
Advance health care directives: problems and solutions for the elder law and estate planning practitioner
The Utah Advance Health Care Directive Act went into effect in January 2008, which created the Advance Directive.
Plan it out: estate planning key to financial responsibility
She alleged, inter alia, that the hospital, and the physicians had mistreated her mother, first by injuring her peritoneum during thoracoabdominal aneurysm surgery on August 14, 2002, then by neglecting and concealing the prospect of infection--which eventually caused multiple organs to fail--and by performing numerous other surgeries, against the decedent's wishes as spelled out in her Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD).
Was patient's advance directive 'concealed' and ignored?
An attorney who has written legal books for consumers explains the need for an Advance Health Care Directive in the event of one's incapacitation.
Advance health care directives simplified. (CD-ROM included)
Although most people initially think otherwise, the law in most states does not allow an advance health care directive to tie one's hands.
What I learned from Schiavo
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