Where does “sustain” come from?

Sustain comes from Middle English sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latin sustineo (to hold up or support), formed from sub (under) and teneo (to hold).

sustain (English): To maintain, or keep in existence; To provide for...

Definitions

  1. To maintain, or keep in existence; To provide for...

Ancestry of “sustain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsusteinen—
2Old Frenchsustenirto hold up; to support; to support; to sustain
3Vulgar Latinsustenire—
4LatinsustineoI hold up or upright, uphold, keep up, bear up,...
5Latinsub-under, sub
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “sustain”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upó →Every word from Latin sub- →