English → Latin
“maintain” in Latin
teneōto hold, have; to grasp; to possess, occupy, control; to watch, guard, maintain, defend; to retain, keepobtineōto have, occupy, possess, hold, obtain; to preserve, keep, maintain, uphold; persist in; to assert, show, prove, demonstcontendōto hurry; to stretch, draw tight, make taut, strain; to place together in comparison, compare, contrastdēfendōto drive away; to defend, guard or protect, to stand up for, to stick up foraffirmōto present (something) as fixed, firm, or true; affirm, assert, maintain; to strengthen, confirm, corroborate; to make cassevērōto do any thing with earnestness, pursue earnestly; to be serious; to assert, declare positively, affirm; to make known,efficiōto make out or work out; effect, execute, complete, accomplish, make, form, compose; to cause to occur, to bring about, disserōto examine, argue, discuss, treat; to lecture, to speak at lengthdisputōto estimate or compute; to discuss, debate or argue; to preachpōnōto place; to put; to lay; to ordain; to appoint; to make (something); to set up; to pitch (camp)
The English word maintain itself goes back to Latin teneō, through manuteneo.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
maintain
To support, defend, tenere, obtinere (where the truth is contested): contendere; defendere (the former, to endeavor to carry against a different opinion; the latter, to defend; both, against opposition): affirmare (to maintain as true, to assert, affirm): asseverare (to maintain earnestly: ☞ in Cic., followed by an accusative and infinitive; in the Silver Age, found also, with a simple accusative. ☞ Asserere is not classical in this sense): efficere (to establish by proof): disserere, disputare (to assert and discuss): ponere, proponere, placet or videtur mihi (to lay down as one’s own opinion): dicere (to give as one’s opinion: all followed by an accusative and infinitive): aio (I say that a thing is so; opposed to nego): to maintain the contrary, negare: Democritus maintains that no one can be a good poet without enthusiasm, Democritus negat, sine furore quemquam poetam magnura esse posse.
To supply with the necessaries of life, nutrire aliquem (to nourish with food and drink): alere (in a wider sense, to furnish everything that serves for sustenance): sustinere, sustentare aliquem, victum alicui praebere (to care for one’s maintenance): to maintain one’s self by any means, alere se aliqua re (e.g., se suosque latrociniis): victum quaeritare aliqua re (e.g., lanā ac telā, Terentianus, Andr., 1, 1, 48; therefore, by one’s needle, acu): to maintain one’s self by selling chaplets, coronas venditando sustentare paupertatem: maintain one’s self by the labor of one’s hands, manum mercede tolerare inopiam.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for maintain?
- The usual Latin words for “maintain” are teneō, obtineō, contendō; also dēfendō, affirmō, assevērō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.