sostenida

Sostenida is the feminine form of the past participle of sostener, from the Latin sustinere, and functions as an adjective or, less commonly, as a noun in Spanish. It describes something that is kept, maintained, or supported over time. As an adjective it agrees with feminine nouns, for example, una promesa sostenida (a sustained promise) or una posición sostenida (an ongoing stance). It can also appear in general phrases to express continuity or durability, such as un desarrollo sostenido.

In grammar, sostenida marks duration or continuity and is often used in both written and spoken Spanish to convey persistence or support. In combination with nouns related to time, action, or structure, it emphasizes that the subject remains in a particular state for an extended period.

In music, sostenida is used to indicate that a note or phrase should be held longer than its notated value, equivalent to the idea of a sustained note. While Spanish-language materials may use sostén or sostenido in reference to sharp pitch (sostenido), the term sostenida more commonly appears in descriptive contexts to denote duration, such as una melodía sostenida or una línea sostenida, rather than as a formal musical symbol. In international scores, notation terms like sostenuto in Italian or the standard symbols for duration (tenuto, fermata) are frequently employed.

Sostenida also appears in broader discourse to describe trends, effects, or conditions that persist over time, such as una presión sostenida o una demanda sostenida, underscoring continuity rather than a single moment.