Maintained

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /meɪnˈteɪnd/

Definitions

1. Kept something in good working order or repair ; continued to assert or uphold a statement, claim, or condition
2. Preserved the state or quality of an object or system through care or effort ; sustained a belief, position, or activity over time without interruption
3. Performed maintenance to ensure functionality or safety ; kept alive or ongoing a rule, argument, or tradition across a period

Etymology: "Maintained" is the past tense and past participle of "maintain", so the story belongs to its root verb. That root is a compound built from Latin "manū", "by the hand" (the ablative of "manus"), and "tenēre", "to hold", so the original sense was literally to hold by the hand. Late Latin "manūteneō" meant "I support", and the idea of holding something up or in place carried through Old French "maintenir" into Middle English as "mayntenen". The hand image explains the modern range of meanings. Keeping a rule or tradition alive over time is the same act as keeping a structure or machine in working order: each depends on someone continuously holding it up. The verb's sense of asserting a claim, as in "maintain one's innocence", grows from the same notion of holding a position firm against challenge.

Synonyms: sustained, preserved, upheld, continued, supported

Antonyms: neglected, abandoned, discontinued, forsaken, ignored