(verb) : sustĭnĕo, tĭnŭi, tentum, 2, subs for sub, and teneo
* To hold up, hold upright, uphold, to bear up, keep up, support, sustain (syn. fulcio).
* Lit.
* In gen.: onus alicui,Plaut. As. 3, 3, 68: quantum hominum terra sustinet,id. Poen. prol. 90; id. Men. 1, 1, 13: cum Milo umeris sustineret bovem vivum,Cic. Sen. 10, 33: arma membraque,Liv. 23, 45, 3; Curt. 6, 1, 11; 7, 5, 8: infirmos baculo artus,to support,Ov. M. 6, 27: furcis spectacula,Liv. 1, 35, 9: ingenuā speculum manu,Ov. A. A. 2, 216: fornice exstructo, quo pons sustinebatur, Auct. B. Alex. 19, 4: manibus clipeos et hastam Et galeam,Ov. H. 3, 119: vix populum tellus sustinet illa suum,id. ib. 15 (16), 182: lapis albus Pocula cum cyatho duo sustinet,Hor. S. 1, 6, 117: vas ad sustinenda opsonia,Plin. 33, 11, 49, § 140: aër volatus alitum sustinet,Cic. N. D. 2, 39, 101: lacus omnia illata pondera sustinens, bearing on its surface, Plin. 6, 27, 31, § 127: ecce populus Romanus universus veluti duobus navigiis inpositus binis cardinibus sustinetur,id. 36, 15, 24, § 119: domum pluribus adminiculis fulcit ac sustinet,Plin. Ep. 4, 21, 3: se, to support one's self, hold one's self up, stand, etc., Caes. B. G. 2, 25; so, se a lapsu,Liv. 21, 35: se alis,Ov. M. 4, 411.
* Trop.
* In gen., to uphold, sustain, maintain, preserve: dignitatem et decus civitatis,Cic. Off. 1, 34, 124: causam rei publicae,id. Fam. 9, 8, 2; cf.: causam publicam,id. Div. in Caecil. 8, 27: exspectationem,id. Off. 3, 2, 6: tris personas unus sustineo,characters,id. de Or. 2, 24, 102: personam magistri,to personate,Suet. Gram. 24: quid muneris in rem publicam fungi ac sustinere velitis,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 86, § 199: historiam veterem atque antiquam haec mea senectus sustinet,Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 100: vitam, Maecen. ap. Sen. Ep. 101, 11.—Poet.: (arbor) ingentem sustinet umbram,Verg. G. 2, 297.
* In partic.
* To sustain, support, maintain, by food, money, or other means: hac (sc. re frumentariā) alimur et sustinemur,Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 5, § 11: veterem amicum suum labentem excepit, fulsit et sustinuit re, fortunā, fide,id. Rab. Post. 16, 43: qui ager non amplius hominum quinque milia potest sustinere,id. Att. 2, 16, 1: alicujus munificentiā sustineri,Liv. 39, 9, 6: hinc patriam parvosque nepotes Sustinet,Verg. G. 2, 515: necessitates aliorum,Liv. 6, 15, 9: plebem,id. 3, 65, 6: penuriam temporum,Col. 9, 14, 17.
* To bear, undergo, endure; to hold out against, withstand (so most freq.; syn.: fero, tolero, patior): mala ferre sustinereque,Cic. Tusc. 5, 6, 16: non tu scis, quantum malarum rerum sustineam,Plaut. Merc. 2, 4, 8: innocens suspitionem hanc sustinet causā meā,id. Bacch. 3, 3, 32: labores,Cic. Rep. 1, 3: aestatem,Hirt. B. G. 8, 39, 3: dolorem pedum,Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 5: dolores,id. ib. 1, 12, 8: certamen,Liv. 33, 36, 12: vim hostium,Nep. Hann. 11, 4: periculum,Dig. 18, 6, 1: o dii, quis hujus potentiam poterit sustinere?Cic. Phil. 7, 6, 17: alicujus imperia,Caes. B. G. 1, 31: vulnera,id. ib. 1, 45: Philo ea sustinere vix poterat, quae contra Academicorum pertinaciam dicebantur,Cic. Ac. 2, 6, 18; Vatin. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 10, 2: Peloponnesum,Cic. Att. 10, 12, 7: eos (rogantes), Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 13, 3; Liv. 31, 13: senatus querentes eos non sustinuit,id. 31, 13, 4: justa petentem deam,Ov. M. 14, 788: ferrum ignemque Jovemque,id. ib. 13, 385 et saep.—Absol.: expectes et sustineas necesse est, Mart. 9, 3, 13: neque jam sustineri poterat,Caes. B. G. 2, 6; cf. Cic. Fam. 12, 6, 4; Liv. 29, 6, 17.
* With obj.-clause (mostly with a negative: non sustinet, he cannot bear, cannot endure; he does not take upon himself, does not venture): non sustineo esse conscius mihi dissimulati judicii mei,Quint. 3, 6, 64: non impositos supremis ignibus artus Sustinuit spectare parens,Ov. M. 13, 584; so negatively,id. ib. 1, 530; 6, 367; 6, 606; 9, 439; 10, 47; id. F. 4, 850; Vell. 2, 86, 2. — In a negative interrog.: sustinebant tales viri, se tot senatoribus, etc. ... non credidisse? tantae populi Romani voluntati restitisse? Sustineant. Reperiemus, etc.,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 4, § 10: hoc quidem quis hominum sustineat petulans esse ad alterius arbitrium?Quint. 12, 9, 10; 3, 6, 64: deserere officii sui partes,Plin. Ep. 9, 13, 16; 9, 13, 6: Parmenionem rursus castigare non sustinebat,Curt. 4, 13, 8; 6, 1, 15: nec solus bibere sustineo,id. 7, 5, 12; 7, 6, 15; 8, 5, 7; Vell. 2, 86, 2; Suet. Caes. 75.—Affirmatively: quem in vinculis habituri erant, sustinuere venerari,Curt. 5, 10, 13: colloqui cum eo, quem damnaverat, sustinuit,id. 6, 8, 16; 7, 5, 38; 10, 5, 25: quae se praeferre Dianae Sustinuit,took upon herself, presumed,Ov. M. 11, 322; so, sustinet ire illuc,id. ib. 4, 447; 6, 563; id. H. 5, 32; Phaedr. 4, 16, 8: aliquem videre, Auct. Cons. Liv. 135: si quis aquam ... haurire sustineat,Plin. 30, 7, 20, § 64: mentiri,Petr. 116.
* (Acc. to I. B.) To hold in, stop, stay, check, restrain; to keep back, put off, defer, delay: est igitur prudentis sustinere ut currum sic impetum benevolentiae,Cic. Lael. 17, 63; so, impetum hostis,Caes. B. G. 1, 24; 1, 26; 2, 11; 3, 2 et saep.: subitas hostium incursiones,Hirt. B. G. 8, 11; cf.: Curio praemittit equites, qui primum impetum sustineant ac morentur,Caes. B. C. 2, 26: bellum consilio,Liv. 3, 60, 1: assensus lubricos,Cic. Ac. 2, 34, 108: sustinenda solutio est nominis Caerelliani,id. Att. 12, 51, 3: oppugnationem ad noctem,Caes. B. G. 5, 37, 6: rem in noctem,Liv. 5, 35, 7: iram,id. 2, 19, 4.