sustain

Sustain is a verb meaning to support, maintain, or bear the weight of something over time. It derives from Old French sustenir and Latin sustinere, meaning to hold up or endure. In general use, to sustain an object, activity, or life means to keep it in existence or continue it despite challenges. The word can also function as a noun in disciplines like music, where it denotes a standing sound.

As a verb, sustain appears in contexts such as sustaining a life or livelihood, sustaining a project, or sustaining funding and operations; to sustain damage means to undergo or endure it. In legal or formal writing, one might sustain a claim or objection, meaning to uphold it under examination or judgment.

In music, sustain refers to the portion of sound that is maintained after the attack and before the release, and to mechanisms that prolong sound, such as the sustain pedal on pianos or electronic envelopes. The degree and duration of sustain are governed by instrument design and performance, described by concepts like the attack-decay-sustain-release envelope.

Related terms include sustainability, the broader concept of meeting present needs without compromising future resources. Sustain thus connects to environmental, economic, and social dimensions; to sustain culture or ecosystems is to support their persistence over time.