Pur autre vie (per o-truh vee) is a French legal phrase which means “for another’s life.” This phrase is durational in meaning as it is “another’s life,” not that of the possessor, that is used to measure the amount of time someone has a right to possess real property.
Person A who conveys property to person B for as long as person C lives conveys a life estate pur autre vie in B. As a life estate pur autre vie is a lesser interest than a fee simple absolute, it is followed by either a remainder in some party or a reversion in the grantor.
[Last updated in July of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]