| 释义 |
main·te·nance
I. \ˈmānt(ə)nən(t)s, -tənən-\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English meyntenaunce, maintenaunce, from Middle French maintenance act of maintaining, from Old French, from maintenir, v. + -ance
1. obsolete : bearing, deportment
< lustier maintenance than I did look for — Shakespeare >
2.
a. : the act of providing means of support for someone
< the small man looked to his neighboring lord for a protection and maintenance which the state could not give — W.C.Dickinson >
b. : the provisions, supplies, or funds needed to live on : means of sustenance
< at least half of them are living parasitically on the other half instead of producing maintenance for themselves — G.B.Shaw >
3.
a. [Middle English meyntenaunce, mayntenaunce, from Anglo-French mayntenaunce, from Old French maintenance act of maintaining, protection] : an officious or unlawful intermeddling in a cause depending between others by assisting either party with money or means with which to carry it on — see champerty
b. : the right of a seaman to food and quarters
4. : the labor of keeping something (as buildings or equipment) in a state of repair or efficiency : care, upkeep
< the mere maintenance of the fences … gives much to do — Richard Jefferies >
5.
a. : the upholding or defense of an attitude, opinion, or cause
< the maintenance of this belief was not rational — Abram Kardiner >
b. : the action of preserving or supporting (as a condition or institution)
< will facilitate the maintenance of peace — C.L.Jones >
Synonyms: see living
II. adjective
: designed or adequate to maintain a living body in a stable condition without providing reserves for growth, functional change, or healing effect
< established the experimental animals on a maintenance ration for calcium >
< the patient may often be kept going indefinitely on a maintenance ration of digitalis > |