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subsist

[ suhb-sist ]
/ səbˈsɪst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR subsist

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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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
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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

Words nearby subsist

subsidiary company, subsidiary ledger, subsidiary rights, subsidize, subsidy, subsist, subsistence, subsistence allowance, subsistence farming, subsistence level, subsistence wage
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to subsist

get along, get by, breathe, be, manage, last, continue, move, remain, live, sustain, exist, endure, survive, hang on, hang tough, hang in, make ends meet, make it, ride out

Example sentences from the Web for subsist

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