Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Maintain
Main-tain
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Maintained
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Maintaining
.] [OE.
maintenen
, F. maintenir
, properly, to hold by the hand; main
hand (L. manus
) + F. tenir
to hold (L. tenere
). See Manual
, and Tenable.] 1.
To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline;
as, to
maintain
a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain
a fence or a railroad; to maintain
the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain
the fertility of soil; to maintain
present reputation.2.
To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish.
God values . . . every one as he
maintains
his post. Grew.
3.
To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail.
Maintain
talk with the duke. Shakespeare
4.
To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed.
Glad, by his labor, to
maintain
his life. Stirling.
What
maintains
one vice would bring up two children. Franklin.
5.
To affirm; to support or defend by argument.
It is hard to
maintain
the truth, but much harder to be maintained by it. South.
Syn. – To assert; vindicate; allege. See
Assert
. Webster 1828 Edition
Maintain
MAINTA'IN
,Verb.
T.
1.
To hold, preserve or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present character or reputation.2.
To hold; to keep; not to lose or surrender; as, to maintain a place or post.3.
To continue; not to suffer to cease; as, to maintain a conversation.4.
To keep up; to uphold; to support the expense of; as, to maintain state or equipage. What maintains one vice would bring up two children.
5.
To support with food, clothing and other conveniences; as, to maintain a family by trade or labor.6.
To support by intellectual powers, or by force of reason; as, to maintain an argument.7.
To support; to defend; to vindicate; to justify; to prove to be just; as, to maintain one's right or cause.8.
To support by assertion or argument; to affirm. In tragedy and satire, I maintain that this age and the last have excelled the ancients.