subsist
English
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subsist
- /səbˈsɪst/
Rhymes with -ɪst
Where it comes from
From Latin subsistō (“halt, stop”), from sub (“below”) + sistō (“stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist.
verb subsists · subsisting · subsisted
- To survive on a minimum of resources. It cannot be denied it is (if not the moſt of any) a very abſtemious animall, and ſuch as by reaſon of its frigidity, paucity of bloud, and latitancy in the winter (about which time the obſervations are often made) will long ſubſist without a viſible ſuſtentation.
- To have ontological reality; to exist. Remember Man! "the Univerſal Cauſe / Acts not by partial, but by gen’ral Laws ; / And makes what Happineſs we juſtly call / Subſiſt not in the Good of one, but all.
- To retain a certain state; to continue. Firm we ſubſiſt, yet poſſible to ſwerve / Since Reaſon not impoſſibly may meet / Some ſpecious object by the Foe ſubornd, / And fall into deception unaware, / Not keeping ſtricteſt watch, as ſhe was warnd.
- To supply sustenance or subsistence to or for. With mutual toil, and intuitive dexterity, we built our commodious habitation in the hollow of a mango tree, that the fruit, which was then in bloſſom, might ſubſiſt our young.
Translations
Every language
verb to survive
| Español | subsistir |
|---|---|
| Português | subsistir |
| Français | subsister |
| Italiano | sussistere |
| Русский | выживать vyživatʹ |
Talk about this word "subsist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/subsist. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. subsist. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/subsist "subsist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/subsist.Cite this
@misc{subsist_2026,
title = {subsist},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/subsist},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
