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. Also: sustention. the act or process of sustaining or the quality of being sustained

Other Word Forms

• sustenanceless adjective
• nonsustenance noun
• self-sustenance 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

Unlike the infamous Lunchables, easily packable lunches don’t have to come at the expense of cost or sustenance.

From Salon

The would-be workers stand in small groups, clutching water bottles, their only source of sustenance for the day, as they listen and hope they will be among the lucky few.

From BBC

After all, we live in a world where food isn’t just sustenance, it’s narrative.

From Salon

For generations, Appalachia existed as a kind of social and economic commons for the country, where promises of help — federal investment, job training, flood protection, health care access — were offered as communal sustenance.

From Salon

Like the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the Getty Museum, the upscale grocer draws out-of-town visitors in search of not just sustenance, but status — a smoothie, a snapshot and social media proof they were there.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• livelihood 
• nourishment 
• nutrition 
• subsistence