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or relation, within certain limits, or the like; to prevent from falling or escaping; to sustain; to restrain; to keep in the grasp; to retain. The loops held one curtain to another. Ex. xxxvi. 12. Thy right hand shall hold me. Ps. cxxxix. 10. They all hold swords, being expert in war. Cant. iii. In vain he seeks, tha…

The act or state of sustaining, grasping, or retaining.

ther hard material, formed or bent into a curve or at an angle, for catching, holding, or sustaining anything; as, a hook for catching fish; a hook for fastening a gate; a boat hook, etc.

s work by art can imitate. Spenser. This hand appeared a shining sword to weild, And that sustained an imitated shield. Dryden.

Indemnification, compensation, or remuneration for loss, damage, or injury sustained. They were told to expect, upon the fall of Walpole, a large and lucrative indemnity for their pretended wrongs. Ld. Mahon.

Not effectually guarded, protected, or sustained; unsafe; unstable; exposed to danger or loss. Bp. Hurg. The trade with Egypt was exceedingly insecure and precarious. Mickle.

, a hinge having long leaves; a strap hinge. -- Joint splice, a reënforce at a joint, to sustain the parts in their true relation. -- Joint stool. (a) A stool consisting of jointed parts; a folding stool. Shak. (b) A block for supporting the end of a piece at a joint; a joint chair. -- Out of joint, out of place; di…

Fictitious commercial paper used for raising money or to sustain credit, as a check which represents no deposit in bank, or a bill of exchange not sanctioned by sale of goods; an accommodation check or bill. [Cant]

A mode of raising money, or sustaining one's credit, by the use of paper which is merely nominal; -- called also kiting. -- Kite"fli`er, n.

on. Specif., a bar of metal, wood, or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is three kinds,…

To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained. "An appeal lies in this case." Parsons.

To listen or hearken to. Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain, If with too credent ear you list his songs. Shak.

A burden; that which is laid on or put in anything for conveyance; that which is borne or sustained; a weight; as, a heavy load. He might such a load To town with his ass carry. Gower.

y this year amount to a million of dollars. To bear a loss, to make a loss good; also, to sustain a loss without sinking under it. -- To be at a loss, to be in a state of uncertainty.

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;…

esolute, noble. Let's briefly put on manly readiness. Shak. Serene and manly, hardened to sustain The load of life. Dryden.

does not sit easy on the mannerist, which has been adopted on principle, and which can be sustained only by constant effort, is always offensive. Macaulay.

his life, his station, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle, or to sustain a cause. Then if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, Thou fall'st a blessed martyr ! Shak.

ole, or long, strong, round piece of timber, or spar, set upright in a boat or vessel, to sustain the sails, yards, rigging, etc. A mast may also consist of several pieces of timber united by iron bands, or of a hollow pillar of iron or steel. The tallest pine Hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the mast Of some great ammir…

An exhibition in which an actor sustains many characters.