A person who, as a result of a grant of a life estate to his or her benefit, has exclusive possession, use and enjoyment of the trust property (such as a residence) - or subject to such other terms as the trust constitution may set out - until that beneficiary dies.
Also known as a "tenant for life".
In L. Rutherford and S. Bone's Osborn's Concise Law Dictionary (LOndon: Sweet & Maxwell, 1993), p. 320, albeit under "tenant for life", they define the term as:
"One who is entitled to land for the term of his own life; a life interest....
"A tenant for life is entitled to the rents and profits of the land during his life but is not entitled to commit voluntary waste unless made unimpeachable for waste."