/ ɪgˈzɪstəns; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] the state or fact of being real or living or of being present :
I was unaware of his existence until today.
This is the oldest Hebrew manuscript in existence .
Pakistan came into existence as an independent country after the war.
a crisis that threatens the industry's continued existence
2.
[ C ] a way of living especially when this is difficult or boring :
The family endured a miserable existence in a cramped apartment.
We led a poor but happy enough existence as children.
They eke out a precarious existence (= they have hardly enough money to live on) .
The peasants depend on a good harvest for their very existence (= in order to continue to live) .
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , or from late Latin existentia , from Latin exsistere come into being, from ex- out + sistere take a stand.