subsist

[ suh b-sist ]

/ səbˈsɪst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR subsist 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.

to have timeless or abstract existence, as a number, relation, etc.
to have existence, especially independent existence.

verb (used with object)

to provide sustenance or support for; maintain.

Nearby words

subsidiary ledger, subsidiary rights, subsidise, subsidize, subsidy, subsist, subsistence, subsistence allowance, subsistence farming, subsistence level, subsistence wage

Origin of subsist

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

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

Can be confusedsubside subsist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subsist

Why does our government think it's okay for them to subsist on french fries and soda?
The Government is Still Failing Kids on School Lunches|Russell Saunders|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She announced her intention to subsist on a diet of water and fish broth, an estimated 200-400 calories per day.
The Hunger Strike Diet: You Don't Lose Weight AND You Accomplish Your Goal!|David Frum|January 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He begins his days at 4:30 a.m., hits the gym by 5, appears to subsist on energy bars, and is said to be “calm, quite—and deadly.”
Steve Jobs Resigns||August 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
They are plovers that subsist largely upon flying insects which they catch when on the wing.
Glimpses of Indian Birds|Douglas Dewar

He has been fighting alongside of the French, and has made the discovery that they do not subsist entirely upon frogs.
Getting Together|Ian Hay
They now might count on at least six or seven hundred miles of buffalo to subsist them on their way to Oregon.
The Covered Wagon|Emerson Hough
This, in conjunction with the loss of supplies at Holly Springs, compelled the entire army to subsist upon the country.
The History of Company A, Second Illinois Cavalry|Samuel H. Fletcher
In summer they can easily do this, but in winter they subsist on the dry grass standing on the hills and prairies.
Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life|Thomas Wallace Knox

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

to exist as a concept or relation rather than a fact
to be conceivable

(tr) obsolete to provide with support

Derived Formssubsistent, 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

Word Origin and History for subsist

subsist

1540s, "to exist," from Latin subsistere "to stand still or firm," (see subsistence). Meaning "to support oneself" (in a certain way) is from 1640s. Related: Subsisted; subsisting.

subsist

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of subsist

Examples from the Web for subsist

British Dictionary definitions for subsist

subsist

verb (mainly intr)

Word Origin for subsist

Word Origin and History for subsist

subsist