Supported

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /səˈpɔɹtɪd/

Definitions

1. To have given aid or endorsement to an individual or notion
2. Offered help or reinforcement to a person, idea, or cause
3. Gave aid or encouragement to someone or something to promote success

Etymology: "Supported" is the past tense and past participle of "support," a verb that came into Middle English from Old French "supporter," which in turn descends from Latin "supportare." The Latin verb combined "sub," meaning "up from under," with "portare," meaning "to carry," so the core image is of bearing a weight from below. That physical sense of holding something up is still present when we say a column supports a roof. The verb's endorsement sense grew out of that literal meaning. To support a person or an idea was originally to hold it up, keep it from falling, and sustaining a cause through encouragement or backing follows naturally from that. English also had its own older word for physical support, "wraþu," which the Middle English noun "support," borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French, eventually replaced.

Synonyms: backed, endorsed

Antonyms: opposed