| maintain | 1. To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain a fence or a railroad; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present reputation. 2. To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish. "God values . . . Every one as he maintains his post." (Grew) 3. To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail. "Maintain talk with the duke." (Shak) 4. To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed. "Glad, by his labour, to maintain his life." (Stirling) "What maintains one vice would bring up two children." (Franklin) 5. To affirm; to support or defend by argument. "It is hard to maintain the truth, but much harder to be maintained by it." (South) Synonym: To assert, vindicate, allege. See Assert. Origin: OE. Maintenen, F. Maintenir, properly, to hold by the hand; main hand (L. Manus) + F. Tenir to hold (L.tenere). See Manual, and Tenable. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| maintainer | A device utilised to hold or keep teeth in a given position. (05 Mar 2000) |