sustenance

 
Pronunciation: /ˈsʌst(ə)nəns, -tɪn-/

noun

[mass noun]
  • food and drink regarded as a source of strength; nourishment: poor rural economies turned to potatoes for sustenance
  • the maintaining of someone or something in life or existence: he kept two or three cows for the sustenance of his family the sustenance of parliamentary democracy

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French soustenance, from the verb soustenir (see sustain)

Spelling help

Spell sustenance with -ance at the end.