King James Bible Dictionary

MAINTA'IN, verb transitive [Latin manus and teneo.]

1. To hold, preserve or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present character or reputation.

2. To hold; to keep; not to lose or surrender; as, to maintain a place or post.

3. To continue; not to suffer to cease; as, to maintain a conversation.

4. To keep up; to uphold; to support the expense of; as, to maintain state or equipage.

What maintains one vice would bring up two children.

5. To support with food, clothing and other conveniences; as, to maintain a family by trade or labor.

6. To support by intellectual powers, or by force of reason; as, to maintain an argument.

7. To support; to defend; to vindicate; to justify; to prove to be just; as, to maintain one's right or cause.

8. To support by assertion or argument; to affirm.

In tragedy and satire, I maintain that this age and the last have excelled the ancients.

MAINTA'INABLE, adjective That may be maintained, supported, preserved or sustained.

1. That may be defended or kept by force or resistance; as, a military post is not maintainable

2. That may be defended by argument or just claim; vindicable; defensible.

MAINTA'INED, participle passive Kept in any state; preserved; upheld; supported; defended; vindicated.

MAINTA'INER, noun One who supports, preserves, sustains or vindicates.

MAINTA'INING, participle present tense Supporting; preserving; upholding; defending; vindicating.