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subsist

[ suhb-sist ]
/ səbˈsɪst /
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See synonyms for: subsist / subsisting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to exist; continue in existence.
to remain alive; live, as on food, resources, etc.
to have existence in, or by reason of, something.
to reside, lie, or consist (usually followed by in).
Philosophy.
  1. to have timeless or abstract existence, as a number, relation, etc.
  2. to have existence, especially independent existence.
verb (used with object)
to provide sustenance or support for; maintain.
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Origin of subsist

1540–50; <Latin subsistere to remain, equivalent to sub-sub- + sistere to stand, make stand; see stand

OTHER WORDS FROM subsist

sub·sist·ing·ly, adverbpre·sub·sist, verb (used without object)self-sub·sist·ing, adjectivesu·per·sub·sist, verb (used without object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH subsist

subside, subsist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subsist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subsist

subsist
/ (səbˈsɪst) /

verb (mainly intr)
(often foll by on) to be sustained; manage to liveto subsist on milk
to continue in existence
(foll by in) to lie or reside by virtue (of); consist
philosophy
  1. to exist as a concept or relation rather than a fact
  2. to be conceivable
(tr) obsolete to provide with support

Derived forms of subsist

subsistent, adjectivesubsister, noun

Word Origin for subsist

C16: from Latin subsistere to stand firm, from sub- up + sistere to make a stand
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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