lifeline

Noun

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

• line that raises or lowers a deep-sea diver

• 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
    

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

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  line of life , life line