What does sustenance mean?
Sustenance is a formal and somewhat literary noun for food, drink, or other nourishment that sustains life and health. It can also refer more broadly to the support, resources, or maintenance needed to keep a person, organization, or activity going. The word often appears in elevated or reflective contexts, such as “daily sustenance,” “a source of sustenance,” or “intellectual sustenance.” Unlike food, which can name specific meals or provisions, sustenance tends to emphasize the continuing provision of what is necessary for survival or well-being. It is also used metaphorically for the ideas, relationships, or experiences that sustain someone. Although the word sounds literary, it remains standard in modern English and is especially common in formal writing.
nounFood, drink, or other nourishment needed to maintain life and health. By extension, it means the support, resources, or means of maintaining something.
- Food, drink, or other nourishment that sustains life and health.
- The means of support, maintenance, or resources needed for a person, organization, or activity.
"The shelter provided food and other sustenance to families displaced by the storm."
"A hot meal and a place to rest were the only sustenance the travelers needed."
"The library offered intellectual sustenance as well as practical information."
Usually uncountable in modern usage; the plural is formal and less common, especially when referring to distinct supplies or provisions.
"The charity prepared sustenances for the travelers who had been stranded by the snow."
From a Latin root meaning “to hold up,” sustenance literally names what helps keep life going.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sustenance come from?
The English word entered from Old French sustenance, which was borrowed from Latin sustentantia, meaning support or maintenance. The Latin noun is related to sustentare, “to hold up” or “sustain,” from the same Latin family that produced English sustain. Related forms include sustentate and sustentation, which preserve the Latin sense of supporting or keeping in existence.
Related word forms
How sustenance is actually used
Sustenance is formal and somewhat literary. It is more common in contexts involving basic nourishment or metaphorical support than in everyday references to a particular meal, where food is usually the natural choice.
Easily confused with sustenance
Sustain is a verb meaning to support, keep in existence, or provide ongoing strength, whereas sustenance is a noun meaning nourishment or the means of support.