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- Dictionarysubsist/səbˈsɪst/
verb
- 1. maintain or support oneself, especially at a minimal level: "he subsisted on welfare and casual labour" Similar
- 2. remain in force or effect: "the court may treat a contract as still subsisting" Similar
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SUBSIST definition: 1. to get enough food or money to stay alive, but no more: 2. to get enough food or money to stay…. Learn more.
1. a. : to have existence : be. b. : persist, continue. 2. : to have or acquire the necessities of life (such as food and clothing) especially : to nourish oneself. subsisting on roots, berries and grubs. 3. a. : to hold true. b. : to be logically conceivable as the subject of true statements. transitive verb. : to support with provisions. Synonyms
verb. If people subsist, they are just able to obtain the food or money that they need in order to stay alive. [formal] The prisoners subsisted on one mug of the worst quality porridge three times a day. [VERB + on] Almost every employee must moonlight in second jobs simply to subsist. [VERB]
verb (used without object) to exist; continue in existence. to remain alive; live, as on food, resources, etc. to have existence in, or by reason of, something. to reside, lie, or consist (usually followed by in ). Philosophy. to have timeless or abstract existence, as a number, relation, etc.
[intransitive] subsist (on something) to manage to stay alive, especially with limited food or money. Old people often subsist on very small incomes.
SUBSIST meaning: 1. to get enough food or money to stay alive, but no more: 2. to get enough food or money to stay…. Learn more.
sub•sist. (səbˈsɪst) v.i. 1. to exist; continue in existence. 2. to remain alive; live, as on food, resources, etc. 3. to have existence in, or by reason of, something. 4. to reside, lie, or consist (usu. fol. by in ). v.t. 5. to provide sustenance or support for; maintain.
To subsist is to feed yourself, or keep yourself going, especially when you just barely manage to do so. A hunger striker might subsist on only water for weeks, and people in developing countries often have to subsist on small rations of rice or grain.
SUBSIST definition: to manage to live when you only have a very small amount of food or money. Learn more.
Origin of Subsist. From French subsister, from Latin subsistere (“to take a stand or position, stand still, stop, stay, remain, continue" ), from sub (“under" ) + sistere (“to cause to stand, place" ). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist. From Wiktionary.
