Sustain

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /səˈsteɪn/

Definitions

1. To maintain, support, or keep something in existence or continue over an extended period of time
2. To support or preserve the existence and functioning of something over time, ensuring its continuous operation or growth through necessary resources and conditions
3. To provide necessary support for the ongoing existence, preservation, or growth of something while ensuring that it continues to function over an extended timeframe

Etymology: Latin "sustineō" was built from "sub-", meaning "from below, up", and "teneō", "hold", so its original sense was to hold something up from underneath, the way a pillar or a beam bears a weight. That physical image is still present in the verb's modern use: to sustain a building is to keep it standing, and to sustain a person is to keep them going through hardship. The verb reached English through Middle English "susteinen" and "sustenen", which came from Old French "sustenir", the ancestor of modern French "soutenir", which means both "to support" and "to defend". The French form kept the same underlying idea of bearing a load, so the English word inherited that notion of holding up something that would otherwise fall.

Synonyms: maintain, support, uphold

Antonyms: neglect, abandon, discontinue