sustenance

[ suhs-tuh-nuhns ]

noun

1. means of sustaining or supporting life or health; nourishment, especially food and drink:

   The small farm provided sustenance for the family of four during tough times.

2. one's means of livelihood:

   Buying handmade cloth from weavers ensures their sustenance.

3. something that sustains or comforts, especially a source of spiritual support:

   He is strong and peaceful and confident in the love of Jesus Christ, which is his sustenance right now.

4. the process of sustaining:

   Critical journalism has played an invaluable role in the sustenance of democratic governance in Nigeria.

5. the state of being sustained:

   Forest-clearing technology may be viewed as a useful tool contributing to human sustenance and self-sufficiency.

sustenance

/ ˈsʌstənəns /

noun

1. means of sustaining health or life; nourishment
2. means of maintenance; livelihood
3. Alsosustentionsəˈstɛnʃən the act or process of sustaining or the quality of being sustained

Other Words From

• sus·te·nance·less adjective
• non·sus·te·nance noun
• self-sus·te·nance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sustenance¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sustenaunce, sustinaunce, from Anglo-French sustenance, from Old French sostenance; sustain, -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of sustenance¹

C13: from Old French sostenance, from sustenir to sustain

Example Sentences

But by edging in gently to farming, they keep the financial assurance of a back-up city salary, as well as the intellectual sustenance of their urban social circle.

From BBC

For her, food isn’t merely an entity of sustenance — it’s an art form.

From Salon

Responses on social media questioned if he had really gone this long on a flight with no stimulation or sustenance.

From BBC

For the Hopi, the mountains provided life-giving rain and spiritual sustenance while the Havasupai’s creation story is centered on the four peaks, which they believed were at the center of the earth.

From Los Angeles Times

This is all part of food being increasingly seen as a source not only of human sustenance, but as a profitable investment – or what is known as the "financialisation of food".

From Salon

Related Words

• livelihood
• nourishment
• nutrition
• subsistence