# sustain

Pronunciation: say "suh-STAYN" US/UK /səˈsteɪn/, AUS /səˈstæɪn/

## Verb

1. To keep something in existence or keep it going over a period of time.
   - Simple: To keep something going or keep it alive over time.
   - _Careful budgeting allowed the family to sustain their business through the recession._
   - _Regular rainfall sustains the wetlands that countless species depend on._
2. To undergo or suffer something harmful, such as an injury or a loss.
   - Simple: To suffer or receive harm, loss, or injury.
   - _Soldiers can sustain serious wounds even when wearing armor._
   - _The driver sustained minor injuries in the collision._
3. To provide someone or something with food and other things needed to stay alive.
   - Simple: To give someone the food and care they need to live.
   - _Aid shipments helped sustain refugees during the famine._
   - _A balanced diet sustains the body and keeps it strong._
4. To hold something up or bear its weight, keeping it from falling.
   - Simple: To hold something up so it does not fall.
   - _Massive pillars sustain the cathedral's vaulted ceiling._
   - _The foundation was built to sustain the entire structure._
5. To confirm or back up a claim, showing it to be true or valid.
   - Simple: To show that something is true or correct.
   - _The data sustains the theory that the climate is warming._
   - _Independent studies sustain his earlier conclusions about the disease._
6. To accept or uphold an objection, motion, or claim as valid, especially in a court of law.
   - Simple: To accept that something, like an objection, is allowed in court.
   - _Appellate judges may sustain the lower court's ruling._
   - _The court sustained the defense's motion to dismiss the case._
7. To give someone aid, comfort, and relief, helping them through a difficult time.
   - Simple: To help and comfort someone in a hard time.
   - _Faith sustained the prisoners through years of hardship._
   - _Friends gathered to sustain the grieving widow with their presence._
8. To encourage or give approval to something, allowing it to continue or grow.
   - Simple: To support or approve of something so it can continue.
   - _Public enthusiasm helped sustain the reform movement._
   - _Government grants sustained the arts festival for another decade._

## Noun

9. A control or pedal on an instrument that holds a note, keeping it sounding after the key is released.
   - Simple: A control on an instrument that makes a note keep sounding.
   - _The pianist kept her foot on the sustain through the entire chord._
   - _He released the sustain to keep the staccato notes crisp._

## Origin

From Middle English susteinen, from Old French sustenir (modern French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre ("to uphold"), built from sub- ("from below, up") plus teneō ("to hold").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sustain (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).