sustention

[suh-sten-shuh n] /səˈstɛn ʃən/

noun

the act of sustaining.

the state or quality of being sustained.

Origin of sustention

1865-1870

1865-70; susten- (see sustain) + -tion, modeled on detain: detention, retain: retention

Related forms

sustentive

[suh-sten-tiv] /səˈstɛn tɪv/ (Show IPA), adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
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Historical Examples

Accuracy, verisimilitude, sustention, count for nothing in comparison with imaginative adroitness and variety.

Diderot and the Encyclopaedists (Vol 1 of 2) John Morley

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