/ səbˈsɪst; NAmE / verb [ v ]
1.
subsist (on sth) to manage to stay alive, especially with limited food or money :
Old people often subsist on very small incomes.
2.
( formal ) to exist; to be valid :
The terms of the contract subsist.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in the sense continue to exist ): from Latin subsistere stand firm, from sub- from below + sistere set, stand.