Also 4–5 -acioun, 5–6 -acyon, etc. [a. AF., OF. sustentacion = Pr. sustentacio, It. sostentazione, Sp. sustentacion, Pg. sustentação, ad. L. sustentātio, -ōnem, n. of action f. sustentāre: see prec.]
† 1. The action of bearing or enduring; endurance.
In first quot. transl. Vulg. sustentatio (= Gr. ἀνοχή).
1382. Wyclif, Rom. iii. 26. In the sustentacioun [gloss or beringe vp] of God.
1607. J. Carpenter, Plaine Mans Plough, 134. Patience,… a voluntarie and daily sustentation and tolleration.
1653. Baxter, Meth. Peace Consc., 244. Their [sc. martyrs’] sufferings and strange sustentations.
† b. The bearing of a pecuniary charge. Obs.
1553. in Strype, Eccl. Mem. (1721), III. App. ii. 4. For sustentation of your charges in this behalf.
2. The action of keeping up or maintaining an institution, establishment, building, or the like; upkeep, maintenance.
1389. in Eng. Gilds (1870), 67. He schal payen, to the sustentacion of this gylde v.s.
c. 1450. Godstow Reg., 190. Which rent he assigned vnto the sustentacion of the kechyn of the forsaid mynchons.
1486. Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905), 7. The said xx s for the sustentacion of the said v tapers. Ibid., 16. Than I bequethe all … to the vse and sustentacion of london Brigge.
1557. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 386. The maynteyninge and sustentacion of the same housse and Colladge.
1627. Sir R. Cotton, Hen. III., 46. Councellors … are but as accessaries, not principals, in sustentation of the State.
1635. Swan, Spec. Mundi (1670), 280. The Stars … stand in need of daily sustentation, like a lamp.
1837. J. D. Lang, New S. Wales, II. 165. The sustentation and maintenance of agriculture and commerce.
1860. Hook, Lives Abps., II. ii. 139. The Peter-pence had … been … a charge laid upon the private estates of the king … for the sustentation of the English College at Rome.
1869. Rawlinson, Anc. Hist., 49. The taxes, which he imposed on the provinces for the sustentation of his enormous court.
b. The keeping up or preservation of a condition or state, esp. human life; also, maintenance of something at a certain level.
1425. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 174/1. For ye better sustentation of ye said stile, title, name and worship.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon., xiv. (1885), 142. Howe the kyng mey best haue sufficient … livelod ffor the sustentacion off his estate.
1533. Cromwell, in Merriman, Life & Lett. (1902), I. 356. A certeyn Annuytie of xxvi s. viii d. toward the Sustentacion of his lyvyng for terms of his Naturall life.
1538. Starkey, England (1878), 56. Al thyngys necessary and plesaunt for the sustentatyon and quyetnes of mannys lyfe.
1607. J. Carpenter, Plaine Mans Plough, 68. To till … their fieldes for the better sustentation of mans life.
1785. Paley, Mor. Philos. (1818), I. 99. Applied to the sustentation of human life.
1850. W. R. Williams, Relig. Progr., iv. (1854), 89. A nation … eager … for the sustentation and diffusion of freedom.
1856. Olmsted, Slave States, 279. The improvement, or even the sustentation of the value of his lands became a matter of minor importance.
1878. Stubbs, Const. Hist., III. xviii. 244. Royal progresses for the sustentation of peace and justice.
3. The action of maintaining a person or concrete thing in being or activity, or of keeping it from failing or perishing; esp. in the 17th cent. of divine support. Now rare.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 11 b. Slepe no more than shall suffyse onely for the Sustentacion of thy body.
1555. W. Watreman, Fardle Facions, App. 325. If menne shal not onely haue regard to their owne priuate profecte, but also to the sustentacion of other.
a. 1617. [see SUAVITY 2 b].
1624. Darcie, Birth of Heresies, xxii. 105. The Sunne … by his force and calidity giues sustentation to whatsoeuer liues vpon the earth.
1645. Ussher, Body Div. (1647), 378. That he would not take his holy Spirit from us in our trialls, but give us sustentation in our temptations.
1675. Brooks, Gold. Key, Wks. 1867, V. 164. ‘The preservation and sustentation of all things’: Col. i. 17.
1847. Grote, Greece, II. xxxi. IV. 235. The fruit of the fresh-planted democracy as well as the seed for its sustentation and aggrandisement.
† b. fig. A prop, stay, support. Obs.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., III. xiii. 95 b. They haue some small peeces of money giuen into them which is their onely aduantage and sustentation [orig. soustien] of their pouerty.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, I. III. xlviii. God … Who is our lifes strong sustentation.
a. 1734. North, Lives (1826), I. 18. His family was not in a posture to sustain any of the brothers, by estates to be carved out of the main sustentation of the honour.
4. The provision of a person with a livelihood or means of living; maintenance or support with the means of subsistence; livelihood.
Very common in the 16th century.
1428. E. E. Wills (1882), 79. I be-quethe to the sustentacion of that … preest … xx. li.
1530. Proper Dyaloge, in Roy, Rede me, etc. (Arb.), 138. Artificers and men of occupacion Quietly wanne their sustentacion.
1547. Act 1 Edw. VI., c. 14 § 7. Moneye … payed … abowte the fynding, mayntenaunce, or sustentacion of any preistes.
1558. T. Watson, Seven Sacr., xxvi. 168. The payment of tythes … for so much as perteineth to … the sustentacion of Gods ministers.
1563. Foxe, A. & M., 112. The patronages and almoise bestowed by them … for the sustentation of the poore of the realme.
1601. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw. (1603), 35. So much [land] was allotted to euery man, as was thought sufficient for the sustentation of his familie.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 2. They ordeined to the Justitiar for his sustentation, ilk day of his justice air, fiue pounds.
1677. H. Scougal, Praise & Thanksgiving (1770), 14. He that brought it into the World, hath already provided for its Sustentation in it.
1845. Stephen, Comm. Laws Eng. (1874), II. 695. For the proper sustentation and payment of licensed curates, the law has made a variety of provisions.
1852. Gladstone, Glean. (1879), IV. 176. As there is no poor-law under which nations can be rated in proportion to their means, for the sustentation of the impotent.
† b. With a and pl. A provision or allowance for maintenance; also, one who provides maintenance for others. Obs.
1461. Rolls of Parlt., V. 473/2. Eny Graunte of a Corrodye or Sustentacion made … by th’ abbot and Convent.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 174. The reuenues … shall be well kept by the handes of the treasurer of Scotlande … sauyng a reasonable sustentation of the lande, Castelles, and ministers of the kingdome.
1622. Donne, Serm., John xi. 35 (1640), 156. Lazarus, the staffe and sustentation of that family was dead.
1671. J. Webster, Metallogr., i. 23. To seek for a sustentation by such slavish and drudgery Work.
5. The action of sustaining the life of an animate being; the provision of the means of sustenance; feeding, nourishment. Also applied to spiritual nourishment.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., xlviii. 218. The water shalle seye … I brynge forþe diuerse kynde of Fishis for thi sustentacioune.
a. 1483. Edw. IV., in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. II. I. 141. Yeving unto hir for the sustentacion of hir houshold half a beef and ii motons.
1543. Necessary Doctr., I iij b. A perpetual fode … for our spiritual sustentation.
1549. Latimer, Ploughers (Arb.), 25. It is necessarie for to haue thys ploughinge for the sustentacion of the bodye.
1605. Camden, Rem. (1637), 190. All manner of prices of things in this Realme, necessary for sustentation of the people, grew daily excessive.
1658. Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 903. Unlesse you see that there is not so much Honey left as may serve for the sustentation of the Parents or elder Bees.
1741. Warburton, Div. Legat., IV. v. II. 266. The Country … was rocky and mountainous: which, therefore,… was unfit for the Breed and Sustentation of Horse.
1825. Coleridge, Aids Refl. (1848), I. 193. The part of the plant … suited … to the deposition of its eggs, and the sustentation of the future larva.
1861. Holland, Less. Life, iv. 62. That peculiar element on which the germ must rely for quickening and sustentation.
b. Phys. The action of those vital functions or processes (as digestion, etc.) that sustain the life and normal activity of an organism.
1877. Huxley, Anat. Inv. Anim., Introd. 24. The apparatuses by which certain operations, subsidiary to sustentation and generation, are carried on.
1881. Mivart, Cat, 10. The study of the actions of the system of organs which nourish and support the body: i. e., the study of the function of sustentation.
6. concr. That which sustains life; sustenance, food, nourishment. Also applied to spiritual food. (Cf. 5.) Now rare.
1537. Inst. Chr. Man, I v. The sacrament of the Altare … is the very spirituall fode, and the very necessarye sustentation … of all christen men.
1549. Compl. Scot., vi. 38. Beystis … quhilk past besyde burnis & boggis on grene bankis to seik ther sustentatione.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 21. We may lesumlie desyre of God our necessarie sustentatioun.
1630. Lennard, trans. Charron’s Wisd., I. Pref. 2. To meditate … therein … is the food, sustentation, life, of the spirit.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., III. xxi. 163. It is … a very abstemious animall, and such as … will long subsist without a visible sustentation.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., II. x. § 3. 259. By Sustentation Ordinary … is intended such kind of Food as is usual for ordinary persons, and ordinary times.
1774. T. West, Antiq. Furness (1805), 195. Sustentation and commodities for themselves and their children.
1866. Reader, 26 May, 513. The soil from which they derive their supplies and sustentation.
7. The action of holding up or keeping from falling; the condition of being so supported. † Also concr., a support. Now rare.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 23. It is nessessarie summe lymes to han a sustentacioun.
1482. Monk of Evesham (Arb.), 27. And so [he] came to chirche … and without sustentacion or helpe of any thing entrid into the quire.
1555. Eden, Decades (Arb.), 349. The most notable pyllers or sustentacions that the earth hath in heauen.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 93. A convenient Fascia … for the sustentation of the arm.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., 189. Since the Tonique motion of the Muscules is not sufficient for sustentation of the Body.
1669. Boyle, Contn. New Exp., I. xxvi. 9. An ordinary School-philosopher would confidently have attributed this sustentation of so heavy a Body to Nature’s fear of admitting a Vacuum.
1893. Bent, in Geogr. Jrnl., II. 140. In difficult places the rocks have been cut [for the old roadways]; walls of sustentation are visible at many points.
8. attrib.: sustentation fund, a fund in the Free Church of Scotland and other bodies for providing adequate support for ministers.
1843. Chalmers, Consid. Free Ch. Scot., in Hanna, Mem. (1852), IV. 564. That the General Fund shall be separated into two parts—a Building and a Sustentation Fund.
1869. Daily News, 21 Oct., 3/4. The Free Church of Scotland in 26 years had … raised a sustentation fund of 132,000l. per annum, so that every minister should have not less than 150l. a year.
