sustentation

Noun

Synonyms: sustenance sustainment maintenance upkeep

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence“they were in want of sustenance”“fishing was their main sustainment”Synonyms: sustenance sustainment maintenance upkeep

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Sustentation \Sus`ten*ta"tion\, n. [L. sustentatio sustenance, maintenance, fr. sustentare to support, maintain, v. intens. fr. sustinere to sustain: cf. F. sustentation. See Sustain.]

1.The act of sustaining, or the state of being sustained; preservation from falling; support; sustenance; maintenance. [1913 Webster]

2.(Physiol.) The aggregate of the functions by which a living organism is maintained in a normal condition of weight and growth. [1913 Webster]

Sustentation fund (Eccl.), a fund of a religious body for support of its ministers, chapels, etc.; as, the sustentation fund of the Free Church of Scotland. [1913 Webster]