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sustenance

1. The act of sustaining; support; maintenance; subsistence; as, the sustenance of the body; the sustenance of life.

2. That which supports life; food; victuals; provisions; means of living; as, the city has ample sustenance. A man of little sustenance. For lying is thy sustenance, thy food. (milton)

Origin: OF. Sustenance, sostenance, soustenance: cf. L. Sustenentia endurance. See Sustain. A source of materials to nourish the body.