sustenance

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a source of materials to nourish the body
  2. noun the financial means whereby one lives
  3. noun the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence

Etymology

From Middle English sustenaunce, from Old French sustenance, from sustenir with the suffix -ance, from Vulgar Latin *sustenire, from Latin sustinere. Compare also Late Latin sustinentia. Equivalent to sustain + -ance.

In classic literature

Synonyms

nutriment, nourishment, nutrition, aliment, alimentation, victuals

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