sustenance
SUS-tuh-nuhns
/ˈsʌstənəns/
Food and drink regarded as a source of strength; nourishment.
Sustenance often has a more functional or survival-based tone than 'food.' It’s what keeps you going.
The story behind the word. From the Old French 'sustenance,' based on the Latin 'sustinere,' meaning 'to hold up from below.' It’s the support structure that keeps a person from falling into weakness.
Word relationships
- livelihood: Livelihood refers to how you earn money to live; sustenance is the actual food/drink that keeps you alive.
- nourishment: Nourishment sounds more health-focused; sustenance sounds more survival-focused.
- poison: A substance that causes illness or death, the opposite of something that sustains life.
Commonly confused with
- subsistence: Subsistence is the level of living (just barely); sustenance is the material (food) that allows it.
Word family
- sustain (verb): To strengthen or support physically or mentally.
Collocations
- daily sustenance
- provide sustenance
- seek sustenance
- minimal sustenance
Example sentences
- "The berries provided just enough sustenance to keep the hikers alive until they found the trail." Survival story.
- "Books were his only sustenance during the long years of isolation." Philosophical quote.
Memory hook
Sustenance = Sustain + Essence. The essence of what sustains you. Sustenance keeps you standing.
When not to use
You wouldn't usually call a fancy five-course meal 'sustenance' unless you were being ironic.
Fun facts
- In legal terms, 'sustenance' can refer to the allowance a husband was historically required to provide for his wife's support.
Related words
Explore more words
sustain, provisions, subsist, nutrient, livelihood, self-sufficient
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