subsist C2 Topic:Food & Drink US /səbˈsɪst/ See IPA manual Freq #73937 Meanings 1 verb To stay alive with only the bare minimum of food or resources. During the siege, the villagers subsisted on bread and water. 2 verb To continue to exist or remain in a particular state. Old tensions still subsist between the two neighbouring countries. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to stay alive with only the... live Word family Forms subsistedsubsistingsubsists Derived forms consubsist Related forms subsidesubsistencesubsistent Common collocations subsist on Verb + preposition/particle Etymology AI details From Latin subsistō (“halt, stop”), from sub (“below”) + sistō (“stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist. subsistō Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Food & Drink Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # subsist **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /səbˈsɪst/ **Frequency rank:** 73937 ## Meanings 1. To stay alive with only the bare minimum of food or resources. 2. To continue to exist or remain in a particular state. ## Examples - During the siege, the villagers subsisted on bread and water. - Old tensions still subsist between the two neighbouring countries. ## Derived Forms - consubsist ## Related Forms - subside - subsistence - subsistent ## Roots and Affixes - Root: subsistō ## Etymology From Latin subsistō (“halt, stop”), from sub (“below”) + sistō (“stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist. ## AI Etymology Subsist is from Latin subsistō (“halt, stop”), from sub (“below”) + sistō (“stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include subsistō (Latin). Current senses include to stay alive with only the bare minimum of food or resources and to continue to exist or remain in a particular state. The wider family includes derived forms such as consubsist and related words such as subside, subsistence, and subsistent. ## Topics - Food & Drink - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown