Subsist

·vi To Continue; to retain a certain state.

II. Subsist ·vi To Be; to have existence; to Inhere.

III. Subsist ·vi To be maintained with food and clothing; to be supported; to Live.

IV. Subsist ·vt To support with provisions; to Feed; to Maintain; as, to subsist one's family.

to subsist
To feed; to maintain.--Todd. This and the following verb are sometimes, though rarely, used transiti...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.