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Webster 1913 Edition


Sustain

Sus-tain′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Sustained
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sustaining
.]
[OE.
sustenen
,
susteinen
, OF.
sustenir
,
sostenir
, F.
soutenir
(the French prefix is properly fr. L.
subtus
below, fr.
sub
under), L.
sustinere
; pref.
sus-
(see
Sub-
) +
tenere
to hold. See
Tenable
, and cf.
Sustenance
.]
1.
To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support;
as, a foundation
sustains
the superstructure; a beast
sustains
a load; a rope
sustains
a weight
.
Every pillar the temple to
sustain
.
Chaucer.
2.
Hence, to keep from sinking, as in despondence, or the like; to support.
No comfortable expectations of another life to
sustain
him under the evils in this world.
Tillotson.
3.
To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; to nourish;
as, provisions to
sustain
an army
.
4.
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
Shak.
His sons, who seek the tyrant to
sustain
.
Dryden.
5.
To endure without failing or yielding; to bear up under;
as, to
sustain
defeat and disappointment
.
6.
To suffer; to bear; to undergo.
Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil
sustain
?
Dryden.
You shall
sustain
more new disgraces.
Shakespeare
7.
To allow the prosecution of; to admit as valid; to sanction; to continue; not to dismiss or abate;
as, the court
sustained
the action or suit
.
8.
To prove; to establish by evidence; to corroborate or confirm; to be conclusive of;
as, to
sustain
a charge, an accusation, or a proposition
.
Syn. – To support; uphold; subsist; assist; relieve; suffer; undergo.

Sus-tain′

,
Noun.
One who, or that which, upholds or sustains; a sustainer.
[Obs.]
I waked again, for my
sustain
was the Lord.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition


Sustain

SUSTA'IN

,
Verb.
T.
[L. sustineo; sub and teneo, to hold under.]
1.
To bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains the superstructure; pillars sustain an edifice; a beast sustains a load.
2.
To hold; to keep from falling; as, a rope sustains a weight.
3.
To support; to keep from sinking in despondence. The hope of a better life sustains the afflicted amidst all their sorrows.
4.
To maintain; to keep alive; to support; to subsist; as provisions to sustain a family or an army.
5.
To support in any condition by aid; to assist or relieve.
His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain.
6.
To bear; to endure without failing or yielding. The mind stands collected and sustains the shock.
Shall Turnus then such endless toil sustain?
7.
To suffer; to bear; to undergo.
You shall sustain more new disgraces.
8.
To maintain; to support; not to dismiss or abate. Notwithstanding the plea in bar or in abatement, the court sustained the action or suit.
9.
To maintain as a sufficient ground. The testimony or the evidence is not sufficient to sustain the action, the accusation, the charges, or the impeachment.
10. In music, to continue, as the sound of notes through their whole length.

SUSTA'IN

,
Noun.
That which upholds. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024


sustain

sustain

English

Noun

sustain (plural sustains)

  1. (music) A mechanism which can be used to hold a note, as the right pedal on a piano.

Verb

sustain (third-person singular simple present sustains, present participle sustaining, simple past and past participle sustained)

  1. (transitive) To maintain, or keep in existence.
  2. (transitive) To provide for or nourish.
    provisions to sustain an army
  3. (transitive) To encourage (something).
  4. (transitive) To experience or suffer (an injury, etc.).
    • Dryden
      Shall Turnus, then, such endless toil sustain?
    • Shakespeare
      You shall sustain more new disgraces.
  5. (transitive) To confirm, prove, or corroborate.
    to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition
  6. To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support.
    A foundation sustains the superstructure; an animal sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
  7. To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
    • Dryden
      his sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain

Derived terms

Related terms

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