I. ˈmānt(ə)nən(t)s, -t ə nən- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English meyntenaunce, maintenaunce, from Middle French maintenance act of maintaining, from Old French, from maintenir, v. + -ance
1. obsolete : bearing , deportment
lustier maintenance than I did look for — Shakespeare
2.
a. : the act of providing means of support for someone
the small man looked to his neighboring lord for a protection and maintenance which the state could not give — W.C.Dickinson
b. : the provisions, supplies, or funds needed to live on : means of sustenance
at least half of them are living parasitically on the other half instead of producing maintenance for themselves — G.B.Shaw
3.
a.
[Middle English meyntenaunce, mayntenaunce, from Anglo-French mayntenaunce, from Old French maintenance act of maintaining, protection]
: an officious or unlawful intermeddling in a cause depending between others by assisting either party with money or means with which to carry it on — see champerty
b. : the right of a seaman to food and quarters
4. : the labor of keeping something (as buildings or equipment) in a state of repair or efficiency : care , upkeep
the mere maintenance of the fences … gives much to do — Richard Jefferies
5.
a. : the upholding or defense of an attitude, opinion, or cause
the maintenance of this belief was not rational — Abram Kardiner
b. : the action of preserving or supporting (as a condition or institution)
will facilitate the maintenance of peace — C.L.Jones
Synonyms: see living
II. adjective
: designed or adequate to maintain a living body in a stable condition without providing reserves for growth, functional change, or healing effect
established the experimental animals on a maintenance ration for calcium
the patient may often be kept going indefinitely on a maintenance ration of digitalis