soutient

Soutient is primarily known as a verb form in French grammar. It is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb soutenir, meaning to support, back, or sustain. In usage, soutient appears in sentences describing someone or something providing support or maintaining a position, such as "Il soutient sa famille" (He supports his family) or "Elle soutient ses arguments" (She supports her arguments). In English-language texts, soutient is rarely used outside of quoted or borrowed French phrases and is not treated as an English lemma.

Etymology and form: Soutient derives from the French verb soutenir, which itself comes from Old French sostenir and ultimately from Latin sustinere, meaning to hold up or sustain. The present-tense form féin aligns with standard French conjugation patterns for -re verbs in the third-person singular.

Relation to related terms: The noun for the act of giving support in French is soutien, not soutient. The verb’s infinitive is soutenir, and related forms include soutiens (I/you support) in different persons and tenses, as well as soutenant (supporting) and souteneur (an archaic or specialized noun in other contexts).

Usage notes: Because soutient is a conjugated form, its interpretation depends on the subject. It is not used as an independent lexical item in English, and English readers typically encounter it only within French sentences or bilingual texts. For discussions of support in French, the preferred noun is soutien, and the verb root is soutenir.

See also: soutenir, soutien, soutenant, soutènement.