From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Sustenance \Sus"te*nance\, n. [OF. sustenance, sostenance,
soustenance: cf. L. sustenentia endurance. See {Sustain}.]
1. The act of sustaining; support; maintenance; subsistence;
as, the sustenance of the body; the sustenance of life.
[1913 Webster]
2. That which supports life; food; victuals; provisions;
means of living; as, the city has ample sustenance. "A man
of little sustenance." --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
For lying is thy sustenance, thy food. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
sustenance
n 1: a source of materials to nourish the body [syn:
{nutriment}, {nourishment}, {nutrition}, {sustenance},
{aliment}, {alimentation}, {victuals}]
2: the financial means whereby one lives; "each child was
expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state for
support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood" [syn:
{support}, {keep}, {livelihood}, {living}, {bread and
butter}, {sustenance}]
3: the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of
subsistence; "they were in want of sustenance"; "fishing was
their main sustainment" [syn: {sustenance}, {sustentation},
{sustainment}, {maintenance}, {upkeep}]
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