sustenir

Sustenir is a verb found in French that historically conveyed the idea of sustaining, upholding, or maintaining something. In contemporary standard French, the more common verb is soutenir, and sustenir is generally regarded as archaic, regional, or nonstandard. Consequently, sustenir appears mainly in older texts or in contexts aiming to evoke historical language.

Etymology and forms: Sustenir derives from the Latin sustinere, meaning to hold up, from sub- (under) and tenere (to hold). The form sustenir appears in Old French and early modern usage, with the meaning closely related to supporting or maintaining. Over time, the dominant modern form in French became soutenir, and sustenir gradually fell out of regular use.

Usage and nuance: In its historical use, sustenir carried senses similar to soutenir, such as supporting a person, a cause, or an argument, or upholding a physical structure. In modern writing, the term is typically replaced by soutenir when referring to moral or intellectual support and by maintenir or entretenir for physical maintenance or upkeep. Example considerations: sustenir une cause (historical) would today be soutenier une cause or mieux soutenir une cause; sustenir une thèse would generally be soutenire or soutenir une thèse.

See also: soutenir, maintenir, entretenir, sustenter. Notes: Because sustenir is largely obsolete in standard French, its appearance is usually confined to historical sources, linguistic discussions, or stylistic recreations of earlier periods.