noun, adverb
prior to death; during one's lifetime
Refers to the period before someone's death, often used in formal or legal contexts. Can function as a noun or adverbially.
没前の遺言が発見された。
A will made prior to his death was discovered.
彼は没前にその作品を完成させた。
He completed the work during his lifetime.
Compound of 没 (death) and 前 (before). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a standard Sino-Japanese pattern.