sustineo

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *upó

Proto-Italic *supo

Latin sub

Latin sub-

Proto-Indo-European *ten-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *tn̥eh₁yéti

Proto-Italic *tenēō

Latin teneō

Latin sustineo

From sub- +‎ teneō (“hold; restrain”). Compare, on composition and meaning, with the later formed subteneō (“to hold underneath”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [sʊsˈtɪ.ne.oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [susˈtiː.ne.o]

Verb

sustineō (present infinitive sustinēre, perfect active sustinuī, supine sustentum); second conjugation

1. to hold up or upright, uphold, support, sustain

   Synonyms: sustentō, teneo, concipio, capesso, subsistō, suffero, capio, retineo

2. to keep up, bear up, tolerate

   Synonyms: tolerō, sino, patio, accipio, recipio, subeo, perpetior, sufferō, sustentō, suscipiō, perfero, dūrō, ferō

3. to hold or keep back or in, stay, check, restrain, control
4. to keep back, put off, defer, delay
5. to uphold, sustain, maintain, preserve

   Synonyms: teneo, retineo, capio, comprehendo, obsideo, servo

6. to guard, protect

   Synonyms: salvō, tūtor, vindicō, cū̆stōdiō, sospitō, teneō, adimō, prōtegō, tegō, dēfendō, adsum, tueor, ēripiō, arceō, servō, prohibeō

   Antonyms: immineō, īnstō, obiectō

7. to undergo, endure, deign, withstand, hold out
   • 8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 2.415–416:

     quōs lupa nūtrit, perdere cognātae sustinuēre manūs.

     Those whom the she-wolf suckles, the hands of [their own] relatives withstood to destroy.
     (Twin babes Romulus and Remus had been subjected to infant exposure.)

Conjugation

   Conjugation of sustineō (second conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	sustineō		sustinēs		sustinet		sustinēmus		sustinētis		sustinent
	imperfect	sustinēbam		sustinēbās		sustinēbat		sustinēbāmus		sustinēbātis		sustinēbant
	future	sustinēbō		sustinēbis		sustinēbit		sustinēbimus		sustinēbitis		sustinēbunt
	perfect	sustinuī		sustinuistī		sustinuit		sustinuimus		sustinuistis		sustinuērunt, sustinuēre
	pluperfect	sustinueram		sustinuerās		sustinuerat		sustinuerāmus		sustinuerātis		sustinuerant
	future perfect	sustinuerō		sustinueris		sustinuerit		sustinuerimus		sustinueritis		sustinuerint
passive	present	sustineor		sustinēris, sustinēre		sustinētur		sustinēmur		sustinēminī		sustinentur
	imperfect	sustinēbar		sustinēbāris, sustinēbāre		sustinēbātur		sustinēbāmur		sustinēbāminī		sustinēbantur
	future	sustinēbor		sustinēberis, sustinēbere		sustinēbitur		sustinēbimur		sustinēbiminī		sustinēbuntur
	perfect	sustentus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	sustentus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	sustentus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	sustineam		sustineās		sustineat		sustineāmus		sustineātis		sustineant
	imperfect	sustinērem		sustinērēs		sustinēret		sustinērēmus		sustinērētis		sustinērent
	perfect	sustinuerim		sustinuerīs		sustinuerit		sustinuerīmus		sustinuerītis		sustinuerint
	pluperfect	sustinuissem		sustinuissēs		sustinuisset		sustinuissēmus		sustinuissētis		sustinuissent
passive	present	sustinear		sustineāris, sustineāre		sustineātur		sustineāmur		sustineāminī		sustineantur
	imperfect	sustinērer		sustinērēris, sustinērēre		sustinērētur		sustinērēmur		sustinērēminī		sustinērentur
	perfect	sustentus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	sustentus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		sustinē		—		—		sustinēte		—
	future	—		sustinētō		sustinētō		—		sustinētōte		sustinentō
passive	present	—		sustinēre		—		—		sustinēminī		—
	future	—		sustinētor		sustinētor		—		—		sustinentor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		sustinēre			sustinērī			sustinēns			—
future		sustentūrum esse			sustentum īrī			sustentūrus			sustinendus
perfect		sustinuisse			sustentum esse			—			sustentus
future perfect		—			sustentum fore			—			—
perfect potential		sustentūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		sustinendī		sustinendō		sustinendum		sustinendō		sustentum		sustentū

Derived terms

• sustentō
• sustinēbilis
• sustinēns
• sustinentia

Related terms

• abstineō
• attineō
• circumteneō
• contineō
• dētineō
• distineō
• obtineō
• pertineō
• retineō
• teneō
• trānstineō

Descendants

• Asturian: sostener
• Catalan: sostenir
• English: sustain
• French: soutenir, soustenir, soûtenir (obsolete)
  • Haitian Creole: soutni
• Friulian: sostignî
• Galician: soster
• Italian: sostenere
• Ladin: sustenir
• Old French: sustenir, soustenir
• Papiamentu: nister
• Piedmontese: sosten-e
• Portuguese: sustentar, suster
• Romanian: susține
• Sicilian: sustèniri
• Spanish: sostener

References

• “sustineo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sustineo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “sustineo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to bring horses to the halt when at full gallop: equos incitatos sustinere
    
  • to fulfil the duties of one's position: munus explere, sustinere
    
  • to bear the blame of a thing: culpam alicuius rei sustinere
    
  • to hold out for four months: obsidionem quattuor menses sustinere
    
  • to resist the attack, onset: impetum sustinere (B. G. 1. 26)
    
  • to stop rowing; to easy: sustinere, inhibere remos (De Or. 1. 33)
    
• sustineo in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016