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Webster 1913 Edition

Subsist

Sub-sist′

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Subsisted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Subsisting
.]
[L.
subsistere
to stand still, stay, remain alive;
sub
under +
sistere
to stand, to cause to stand, from
stare
to stand: cf. F.
subsister
. See
Stand
.]
1.
To be; to have existence; to inhere.
And makes what happiness we justly call,
Subsist
not in the good of one, but all.
Pope.
2.
To continue; to retain a certain state.
Firm we
subsist
, yet possible to swerve.
Milton.
3.
To be maintained with food and clothing; to be supported; to live.
Milton.
To
subsist
on other men’s charity.
Atterbury.

Sub-sist′

,
Verb.
T.
To support with provisions; to feed; to maintain;
as, to
subsist
one's family
.
He laid waste the adjacent country in order to render it more difficult for the enemy to
subsist
their army.
Robertson.

Webster 1828 Edition

Subsist

SUBSIST'

,
Verb.
I.
[L. subsisto; sub and sisto, to stand, to be fixed.]
1.
To be; to have existence; applicable to matter or spirit.
2.
To continue; to retain the present state.
Firm we subsist, but possible to swerve.
3.
To live; to be maintained with food and clothing. How many of the human race subsist on the labors of others! How many armies have subsisted on plunder!
4.
To inhere; to have existence by means of something else; as qualities that subsist in substances.

SUBSIST'

,
Verb.
T.
To feed; to maintain; to support with provisions. The king subsisted his troops on provisions plundered from the enemy.

Definition 2024

subsist

subsist

English

Verb

subsist ‎(third-person singular simple present subsists, present participle subsisting, simple past and past participle subsisted)

  1. To survive on a minimum of resources.
    • Atterbury
      to subsist on other men's charity
  2. (chiefly philosophy) To have ontological reality; to exist.
    • Alexander Pope
      And makes what happiness we justly call, / Subsist not in the good of one, but all.
  3. To continue; to retain a certain state.
    • Milton
      Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve.

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:subsist.

Related terms

See also

Translations

External links

  • subsist in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • subsist in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Etymology

From French subsister, from Latin subsistere ‎(“to take a stand or position, stand still, stop, stay, remain, continue”), from sub ‎(“under”) + sistere ‎(“to cause to stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist.

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