During discussion about fossils, a lecturersaid "Fossils live in rocky strata..." and later, "These rocks live in shale deposits..."

How can an inanimate object "live" anywhere? Shouldn't "live" be limited to beings having at least a minimum vital force?

I have no problem with this. I say things (and you probably do too!) like "The scissors live in the drawer." or "Don't leave your pencils all over the table, they live in the box."

A secondary use of "live" - in British English anyway - is to be usually kept or found in a particular place.

From Beowulf:
Hi..forleton eorla gestreon eorðan healdan, gold on greote, þær hit nu gen lifað eldum swa unnyt swa hyt [æro]r wæs.

"They... let the ground hold the treasure of earls, gold in the earth, where ever it lives useless to men as of yore it was."

Great quote, Goofy. I don't hear "live" used like that. I wonder if this use is a regional difference.

I've checked two or three dics and can't find this usage. Can antuone cite it?

How am I supposed to remember something so long in the past. It's only noon and I can't recall if I had breakfast.

quote:

Originally posted by Proofreader:
I've checked two or three dics and can't find this usage. Can antuone cite it?

It's right there on the front page of a onelook search

I know I am not timely in answering this, but first of all, I don't think in the U.S. we use "live" that way. Second of all, it wasn't clear at all to me that it was on the first page of Onelook. I went through all their verb definitions, and you had to push the envelope a little for that one, unless of course I missed something.