subsist

«subsist» in Mova's school dictionary: to stay alive, often with very little food or money: they… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb (subsist, subsists, subsisted, subsisting); noun subsistence

meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) To subsist is to stay alive, often with very little food or money: they subsisted on bread and water. tree →

2) (formal) To subsist is also to continue to exist: the old custom still subsists. tree →

sense in the lessons

Formal and exam language; in history and geography lessons people subsisted by farming, hunting or fishing (subsistence farming means growing just enough to feed your family). In stories, castaways subsist on coconuts. Plain words: live on, survive, get by.

examples

• The castaways subsisted on fish and coconuts. tree →
• During the long winter the family subsisted on potatoes. tree →
• Many families once subsisted by farming small fields. tree →
• He subsisted on very little money. tree →
• Birds can subsist on seeds in winter. tree →
• Subsistence farmers grow just enough food to eat. tree →

note

Formal word; in speech say «live on» or «get by». Usually followed by «on» or «by»: subsist on rice, subsist by fishing. Do not mix up with «insist» or «persist».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «subsist» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.