Maintain

King James Dictionary

Mainta'In, L 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.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Προΐστημι (Strong'S #4291 — Verb — proistemi — pro-is'-tay-mee )

"to preside, rule," also means "to maintain,"  Titus 3:8,14 , "to maintain (good works)," RV marg., "profess honest occupations" (AV, marg. ... "trades"). The usage of the phrase kala erga (good works) in the Pastoral Epistles is decisive for the rendering "good works," here. See OVER (to be), Rule.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( v. t.) To keep possession of; to hold and defend; not to surrender or relinquish.

(2): ( v. t.) To continue; not to suffer to cease or fail.

(3): ( v. t.) To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed.

(4): ( v. t.) To affirm; to support or defend by argument.

(5): ( v. t.) To hold or keep in any particular state or condition; to support; to sustain; to uphold; to keep up; not to suffer to fail or decline; as, to maintain a certain degree of heat in a furnace; to maintain a fence or a railroad; to maintain the digestive process or powers of the stomach; to maintain the fertility of soil; to maintain present reputation.