maintenu

Maintenu is a French past participle and adjective derived from the verb maintenir, meaning to maintain, uphold, or preserve. As a past participle it forms compound tenses with the auxiliary avoir and, when the direct object precedes, agrees in gender and number, as in les règles qu'il a maintenues. As an adjective, maintenu describes something that has been kept in a given state, for example un système maintenu en état de marche or une procédure maintenue à jour.

Etymology: Maintenu comes from Old French maintenir, which itself derives from Latin manutenere (to hold in the hand, to keep).

Usage and contexts: Common contexts include logistics, engineering, and administration, where phrases express preservation or upholding of standards: maintenir la sécurité, maintenir l'ordre. In modern French, the term appears in translations and technical prose to denote that something is kept current or preserved; in computing, “logiciel maintenu” is used but less common than expressions like “logiciel entretenu” or “logiciel à jour.”

Other notes: Maintenu can be encountered as a surname in rare cases and is not a widely used given name. The related noun forms include maintien (the act of keeping) and the adjectives maintenable or maintenable, which relate to maintainability.

See also: maintenir, maintenance, maintenance (français) and maintiens/m maintien.