Subsidiate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To give financial aid or support to a person, organization, or activity, usually from public funds
2. To furnish money or assistance toward the cost of something so that it can continue or be sold cheaply
3. To back a cause, enterprise, or group with monetary help, often as a grant or payment from a government

Etymology: In Latin, "subsidium" meant a reserve force: soldiers held back behind the front line, ready to reinforce troops in trouble. It came from "subsidere," to sit down or settle in place, which is why the idea was of something kept waiting in the rear. Over the centuries, that sense of support held in reserve shifted from soldiers to money, and English "subsidy" carries the financial meaning. The verb is a much rarer English relative, formed on the same Latin base, and it means to provide a subsidy to something or someone. Its exact date of entry into English is uncertain to me, but its meaning follows directly from the financial sense of "subsidy."