a. [ OE. on live, AS. on līfe in life; līfe being dat. of līf life. See Life, and cf. Live, a. ]
The Boyne, for a quarter of a mile, was alive with muskets and green boughs. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]
Tremblingly alive to nature's laws. Falconer. [ 1913 Webster ]
Northumberland was the proudest man alive. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]
Used colloquially as an intensive; as, man alive! [ 1913 Webster ]
☞ Alive always follows the noun which it qualifies. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.
n. [ Corrupted fr. caliber. ] An early form of hand gun, a variety of the arquebus; originally a gun having a regular size of bore. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]