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maintain

 - 3 dictionary results

main⋅tain

  [meyn-teyn]
Use maintain in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain: to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.
2. to keep in an appropriate condition, operation, or force; keep unimpaired: to maintain order; to maintain public highways.
3. to keep in a specified state, position, etc.: to maintain a correct posture; to maintain good health.
4. to affirm; assert; declare: He maintained that the country was going downhill.
5. to support in speech or argument, as a statement or proposition.
6. to keep or hold against attack: to maintain one's ground.
7. to provide for the upkeep or support of; carry the expenses of: to maintain a family.
8. to sustain or support: not enough water to maintain life.
Origin:
1200–50; ME mainteinen < OF maintenir ≪ ML manūtenēre, L manū tenēre lit., to hold in hand, equiv. to manū, abl. of manus hand (see manual ) + tenēre to hold (see tenet )

Related forms:
main⋅tain⋅a⋅ble, adjective
main⋅tain⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
main⋅tain⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. continue. 1, 2. keep up. 4. asseverate. Maintain, assert, aver, allege, hold, state all mean to express an opinion, judgment, or position. Maintain carries the implications of both firmness and persistence in declaring or supporting a conviction: She maintained her client's innocence even in the face of damaging evidence. Assert suggests assurance, confidence, and sometimes aggressiveness in the effort to persuade others to agree with or accept one's position: He asserted again and again the government's right to control the waterway. Aver, like assert, implies confident declaration and sometimes suggests a firmly positive or peremptory tone; in legal use aver means “to allege as fact”: to aver that the evidence is incontrovertible. Allege indicates a statement without evidence to support it, and thus can imply doubt as to the validity or accuracy of an assertion: The official is alleged to have been unaware of the crime. Hold means simply to have or express a conviction or belief: We hold these truths to be self-evident; She held that her rights had been violated. State usually suggests a declaration that is forthright and unambiguous: He stated his reasons in clear, simple language. 5. uphold, defend, vindicate, justify. 7. See support.

Antonyms:
1. discontinue. 5. contradict.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To maintain
main·tain   (mān-tān')   
tr.v.   main·tained, main·tain·ing, main·tains

  1. To keep up or carry on; continue: maintain good relations.

  2. To keep in an existing state; preserve or retain: maintain one's composure.

  3. To keep in a condition of good repair or efficiency: maintain two cars.

    1. To provide for; support: maintain a family.

    2. To keep in existence; sustain: enough food to maintain life.

  5. To defend or hold against criticism or attack: maintained his stand on taxes.

  6. To declare to be true; affirm: maintained her innocence.

  7. To adhere or conform to; keep: maintain a busy schedule.


[Middle English maintainen, from Old French maintenir, from Medieval Latin manutenēre, from Latin manū tenēre, to hold in the hand : manū, ablative of manus, hand; see man-2 in Indo-European roots + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
main·tain'a·bil'i·ty n., main·tain'a·ble adj., main·tain'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

maintain 
c.1250, "to practice habitually," from Anglo-Fr. meintenir (O.Fr. maintenir), from L. manu tenere "hold in the hand," from manu, abl. of manus "hand" (see manual) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "to carry on, keep up" is from c.1350; that of "to keep oneself, to support" is from 1375. Sense of "to defend in speech" is from 1340.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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