# subsist

> English word · Verb · IPA /səbˈsɪst/ · frequency rank #50,252

## Definitions
1. To survive on a minimum of resources.
2. To have ontological reality; to exist.
3. To retain a certain state; to continue.
4. To supply sustenance or subsistence to or for.

## Etymology
From Latin subsistō (“halt, stop”), from sub (“below”) + sistō (“stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/subsist