subsistence

 
Pronunciation: /səbˈsɪst(ə)ns/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1the action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself, especially at a minimal level: the minimum income needed for subsistence
  • the means of maintaining or supporting oneself: the garden provided not only subsistence but a little cash crop
  • [as modifier] denoting or relating to production at a level sufficient only for one’s own use or consumption, without any surplus for trade: subsistence agriculture
  • 2chiefly Law the state of remaining in force or effect: rights of occupation normally only continue during the subsistence of the marriage

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Remember that subsistence ends with -ence.