sustentation

[ suhs-tuh n-tey-shuh n ]
/ ˌsʌs tənˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

maintenance in being or activity; the sustaining of life through vital processes.
provision with means or funds for upkeep.
means of sustaining life; sustenance.

Origin of sustentation

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sustentātiōn- (stem of sustentātiō) an upholding, equivalent to sustentāt(us) (past participle of sustentāre, frequentative of sustinēre to sustain) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM sustentation

sus·ten·ta·tion·al, adjective sus·ten·ta·tive [suhs-tuh n-tey-tiv, suh-sten-tuh-tiv] /ˈsʌs tənˌteɪ tɪv, səˈstɛn tə tɪv/, adjective self-sus·ten·ta·tion, noun

Example sentences from the Web for sustentative

  • These causes may be conveniently divided as in the above diagram, into sustentative and non-sustentative.

    Applied Eugenics |Paul Popenoe and Roswell Hill Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for sustentative

sustentation
/ (ˌsʌstɛnˈteɪʃən) /

noun

a less common word for sustenance

Word Origin for sustentation

C14: from Latin sustentātio, from sustentāre, frequentative of sustinēre to sustain