The organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones WordNet 3.0 & Open English WordNet

Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from matter that does not, and is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, organisation, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. Wikipedia

Characteristic that distinguishes organisms from inorganic substances and dead objects. Wikipedia Disambiguation

Matter capable of extracting energy from the environment for replication Wikidata

The quality that distinguishes a vital and functional plant or animal from a dead body. OmegaWiki