LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

sustentō

sustentō (present infinitive sustentāre, perfect active sustentāvī, supine sustentātum)
Classical[sʊsˈtɛn.toː]Ecclesiastical[susˈtɛn.to]

Meaning

  1. to uphold, support, prop or sustain, maintain
    Extremam famem sustentarentThey sustained the extreme hungerc. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico VII.17
  2. to maintain or preserve by food, money, or other means
  3. to keep in check, hold back, restrain
  4. to bear, endure or hold out, suffer
  5. to put off, defer, delay

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Ferre · Tolerare · Perferre · Perpeti · Sustinere · Sinere · Sustentare.

Ferre; Tolerare; Perferre; Perpeti; Sustinere; Sinere; Sustentare. 1. Ferre (φέρειν) represents the bearing, only with reference to the burden which is borne, altogether objectively, like φέρειν; whereas tolerare, perferre, and pati, perpeti, with subjective reference to the state of mind of the person bearing; the tolerans and perferens bear their burden without sinking under it, with strength and self-control, synonymously with sustinens, sustaining, like τολμῶν; the patiens and perpetiens (παθεῖν) without striving to get rid of it, with willingness or resignation, enduring it, synonymously with sinens. Ferre and tolerare have only a noun for their object, but pati also an infinitive. 2. Perferre is of higher import than tolerare, as perpeti is of higher import than pati, to endure heroically and patiently. Poet. ap. Cic. Tusc. iv. 29. Nec est malum, quod non natura humana patiendo ferat: compare with Tac. Ann. i. 74. Sen. Thyest. 307. Leve est miserias ferre; perferre est grave. Plin. H. N. xxvi. 21. Qui perpeti medicinam non toleraverant. Tac. Ann. iii. 3. Magnitudinem mali perferre visu non toleravit. 3. Tolerare (from τλῆναι) means to keep up under a burden, and not sink down; but sustinere means to keep up the burden, and not let it sink. 4. Pati denotes an intellectual permission, no opposition being made, like to let happen; whereas sinere (ἀνεῖναι) denotes a material permission, not to hold any thing fast nor otherwise hinder, to leave free. Pati has, in construction, the action itself for its object, and governs an infinitive; sinere, the person acting, and is in construction with ut. (iv. 259.) 5. Sustinere means to hold up, in a general sense, whereas sustentare, to hold up with trouble and difficulty. Curt. viii. 4, 15. Forte Macedo gregarius miles seque et arma sustentans tandem in castra venit; compare with v. 1, 11. Tandem Laconum acies languescere, lubrica arma sudore vix sustinens. Also, Liv. xxiii. 45. Senec. Prov. 4. a. f. (iii. 293.)

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.sustentōsustentābamsustentābōsustentāvīsustentāveramsustentāverō
sustentārō
2nd sg.sustentāssustentābāssustentābissustentāvistī
sustentāstī
sustentāverās
sustentārās
sustentāveris
3rd sg.sustentatsustentābatsustentābitsustentāvitsustentāverat
sustentārat
sustentāverit
sustentārit
1st pl.sustentāmussustentābāmussustentābimussustentāvimussustentāverāmussustentāverimus
sustentārimus
2nd pl.sustentātissustentābātissustentābitissustentāvistis
sustentāstis
sustentāverātis
sustentārātis
sustentāveritis
sustentāritis
3rd pl.sustentantsustentābantsustentābuntsustentāvērunt
sustentāvēre, sustentārunt
sustentāverant
sustentārant
sustentāverint
sustentārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.sustentemsustentāremsustentāverim
sustentārim
sustentāvissem
sustentāssem
2nd sg.sustentēssustentārēssustentāverīssustentāvissēs
sustentāssēs
3rd sg.sustentetsustentāretsustentāverit
sustentārit
sustentāvisset
sustentāsset
1st pl.sustentēmussustentārēmussustentāverīmus
sustentārīmus
sustentāvissēmus
sustentāssēmus
2nd pl.sustentētissustentārētissustentāverītis
sustentārītis
sustentāvissētis
sustentāssētis
3rd pl.sustententsustentārentsustentāverint
sustentārint
sustentāvissent
sustentāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.sustentorsustentābarsustentābor
2nd sg.sustentāris
sustentāre
sustentābāris
sustentābāre
sustentāberis
sustentābere
3rd sg.sustentātursustentābātursustentābitur
1st pl.sustentāmursustentābāmursustentābimur
2nd pl.sustentāminīsustentābāminīsustentābiminī
3rd pl.sustentantursustentābantursustentābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.sustentersustentārer
2nd sg.sustentēris
sustentēre
sustentārēris
sustentārēre
3rd sg.sustentētursustentārētur
1st pl.sustentēmursustentārēmur
2nd pl.sustentēminīsustentārēminī
3rd pl.sustententursustentārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.sustentāsustentāre
pres. 2nd pl.sustentātesustentāminī
fut. 2nd sg.sustentātōsustentātor
fut. 3rd sg.sustentātōsustentātor
fut. 2nd pl.sustentātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.sustentantōsustentantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivesustentāresustentārī
perfect infinitivesustentāvisse
sustentāsse
sustentātum esse
future infinitivesustentātūrum essesustentātum īrī
present participlesustentāns—
perfect participle—sustentātus
sustentāta, sustentātā, sustentātae, sustentātam, sustentātārum, sustentātās, sustentātī, sustentātōrum, sustentātōs
future participlesustentātūrus
sustentātūra, sustentātūrā, sustentātūrae, sustentātūram, sustentātūrārum, sustentātūrās, sustentātūre, sustentātūrī, sustentātūrīs, sustentātūrō, sustentātūrōrum, sustentātūrōs, sustentātūrum
sustentandus
sustentanda, sustentandā, sustentandae, sustentandam, sustentandārum, sustentandās, sustentande, sustentandīs, sustentandōrum, sustentandōs
gerundsustentandī, sustentandō, sustentandumsupinesustentātum, sustentātū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

famem tolerare, sustentare
to endure the pangs of hunger.
vitam inopem sustentare, tolerare
to earn a precarious livelihood.

sustento, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. a. sustineo,
I. to hold up or upriqht, to uphold, support, prop, sustain (syn. sustineo).
I. Lit. (only poet. and in post-Aug. prose): multos per annos Sustentata ruet moles et machina mundi, Lucr. 5, 96: Hercule quondam Sustentante polum, Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 143: Alcanor fratrem ruentem Sustentat dextrā, Verg. A. 10, 339: in Tiberim abjectum, Plin. 8, 40, 61, § 145: naufraga sustentant ... vela (i. e. navem) Lacones, Claud. B. Gild. 222; cf.: aegre seque et arma sustentans, Curt. 8, 4, 15.—
B. To bear, wear: catenas, Vop. Aur. 34.—
II. Trop., to keep up, uphold, sustain, maintain, support, bear, uplift, preserve (class. and freq.).
A. In gen.: exsanguem jam et jacentem (civitatem), Cic. Rep. 2, 1, 2; cf.: rem publicam, id. Mur. 2, 3: imbecillitatem valetudinis tuae sustenta et tuere, id. Fam. 7, 1, 5: valetudo sustentatur notitiā sui corporis, id. Off. 2, 24, 86; Vell. 2, 114, 1: Terentiam, unam omnium aerumnosissimam, sustentes tuis officiis, Cic. Att. 3, 23, 5: tu velim tete tuā virtute sustentes, id. Fam. 6, 4, 5: me una consolatio sustentat, quod, etc., id. Mil. 36, 100: per omnis difficultates animo me sustentavi, Quint. 12, prooem. § 1: litteris sustentor et recreor, Cic. Att. 4, 10, 1; cf.: praeclarā conscientiā sustentor, cum cogito, etc., id. ib. 10, 4, 5: Pompeius intellegit, C. Catonem a Crasso sustentari, id. Q. Fr. 2, 3, 4: jurisconsultus, non suo artificio sed alieno sustentatus, id. de Or. 1, 56, 239: amicos suos fide, id. Rab. Post. 2, 4: si qua spes reliqua est, quae fortium civium mentes cogitationesque sustentet, id. Fl. 2, 3: spes inopiam sustentabat, Caes. B. C. 3, 49: res publica magnis meis laboribus sustentata, Cic. Mur. 2, 3: Venus Trojanas sustentat opes, Verg. A. 10, 609: multa virum meritis sustentat fama tropaeis, upholds, id. ib. 11, 224: Arminius manu, voce, vulnere sustentabat pugnam, kept up, maintained, Tac. A. 2, 17: aciem, id. ib. 1, 65 fin.; id. H. 2, 15.—
B. In partic.
1. To support, sustain, maintain, preserve by food, money, or other means: familiam, Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 36: cum esset silvestris beluae sustentatus uberibus, Cic. Rep. 2, 2, 4: idem (aër) spiritu ductus alit et sustentat animantis, id. N. D. 2, 39, 101: qui se subsidiis patrimonii aut amicorum liberalitate sustentant, id. Prov. Cons. 5, 12: eo (frumento) sustentata est plebs, Liv. 2, 34, 5: sustentans fovensque, Plin. Ep. 9, 30, 3: saucios largitione et curā, Tac. A. 4, 63 fin.: animus nullā re egens aletur et sustentabitur isdem rebus, quibus astra sustentantur et aluntur, Cic. Tusc. 1, 19, 43; cf.: furtim rapta sustentat pectora terra, refreshes, Stat. Th. 6, 875: parsimoniam patrum suis sumptibus, Cic. Cael. 16, 38: tenuitatem alicujus, id. Fam. 16, 21, 4: egestatem et luxuriem domestico lenocinio sustentavit, id. Red. Sen. 5, 11: Glycera venditando coronas sustentaverat paupertatem, Plin. 35, 11, 40, § 125; cf.: ut milites pecore ex longinquioribus vicis adacto extremam famem sustentarent, Caes. B.G. 7, 17.—Mid.: mutando sordidas merces sustentabatur, supported himself, got a living, Tac. A. 4, 13; for which in the act. form: Ge. Valuistin' bene? Pa. Sustentavi sedulo, I have taken good care of myself, have kept myself in good case, Plaut. Stich. 4, 2, 8; cf. impers. pass.: Ge. Valuistin' usque? Ep. Sustentatum'st sedulo, id. ib. 3, 2, 14. —
2. To keep in check, hold back, restrain: milites, paulisper ab rege sustentati, paucis amissis profugi discedunt, Sall. J. 56, 6; cf. aciem, Auct. B. Afr. 82: aquas, Auct. Cons. Liv. 221. —
3. To bear, hold out, endure, suffer (rare but class.; syn.: fero, patior): miserias plurimas, Plaut. Capt. 5, 1, 3: moerorem doloremque, Cic. Pis. 36, 89. —Absol. (sc. morbum), Suet. Tib. 72: procellas invidiae, Claud. in Eutr. 1, 265: aegre is dies sustentatur, Caes. B. G. 5, 39: quorum auxiliis atque opibus, si qua bella inciderint, sustentare consuerint, id. ib. 2, 14 fin.—Impers. pass.: aegre eo die sustentatum est, a defence was made, Caes. B. G. 2, 6: hostem, Tac. A. 15, 10 fin.: bellum, Vell. 2, 104, 2: impetus legionum, Auct. B. Hisp. 17, 3. — Absol.: nec, nisi in tempore subventum foret, ultra sustentaturi fuerint, Liv. 34, 18, 2. —
4. To put off, defer, delay (Ciceron.; syn. prolato): rem, dum, etc., Cic. Fam. 13, 64, 1: aedificationem ad tuum adventum, id. Q. Fr. 2, 7: id (malum) opprimi sustentando ac prolatando nullo pacto potest ... celeriter vobis vindicandum est, id. Cat. 4, 3, 6; cf. Ov. R. Am. 405.

Origins

Frequentative verb of sustineō.

Descendants
  • Frenchsustenter
  • Italiansostentare
  • Portuguesesustentar
  • Spanishsustentar

In English words that came into English from sustentō

  • sustentationsustentātio
  • sustentatiosustentātiō

Quick answers

What does sustentō mean in Latin?
sustentō, a verb, means “to uphold, support, prop or sustain, maintain; to maintain or preserve by food, money, or other means; to keep in check, hold back, restrain”.
What are the principal parts of sustentō?
sustentō, sustentāre, sustentāvī, sustentātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce sustentō?
In classical Latin, [sʊsˈtɛn.toː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [susˈtɛn.to].