Lewis & Short

sub-sisto, stĭti, 3, v. n. and a.

  1. I. Neutr., to take a stand or position, to stand still, remain standing; to stop, halt.
    1. A. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen.: reliqui in itinere substiterant, Caes. B. C. 2, 41: in locis campestribus, id. ib. 1, 79: in eodem loco, Hirt. B. G. 8, 16: ad insulam Tauridem, Auct. B. Alex. 45, 1: circa ima (opp. ad summa niti), Quint. prooem. § 20.
        Absol.: quo proelio sublati Helvetii audacius subsistere … coeperunt, Caes. B. G. 1, 15: substitit Aeneas et se collegit in arma, Verg. A. 12, 491; 12, 622; Petr. 111, 8; 115, 8; Plin. 8, 4, 5, § 9: in aliquo flexu viae … occultus subsistebat, stationed himself in ambush, Liv. 22, 12; so, occultus, id. 9, 23.
        1. b. Of things: substitit unda, Verg. A. 8, 87: amnis, Plin. Pan. 30, 4: lacrimae, Quint. 11, 1, 54: ros salsus in alarum sinu, Plin. 27, 9, 47, § 71: subsistit radius cubiti, remains in its place, Cels. 8, 16: substitit auspicii lingua timore mali, Ov. H. 13, 86.
      2. 2. In partic.
        1. a. To stay, tarry, abide, remain in a place: locus ubi nationum subsisterent legati, Varr. L. L. 5, § 155 Müll.: erimus ibi die dedicationis: subsistemus fortasse et sequenti, Plin. Ep. 4, 1, 6: intra tecta (opp. in aperto vagari), id. ib. 6, 16, 15: ut eā die domi subsisteret, orabat, Vell. 2, 57, 2.
        2. b. Esp. (late Lat.), to remain alive, Dig. 34, 4, 30, § 3; Vulg. Job, 32, 22.
        3. c. To make a stand, i. e. to stand firm, hold out; to withstand, oppose, resist: nisi suffulcis firmiter, Non potes subsistere, Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 78: Hannibali atque ejus armis, Liv. 27, 7: clipeo juvenis, Verg. A. 9, 806.
          1. (β) Of things: quod neque ancorae funesque subsisterent, neque, etc., stood, held out, Caes. B. G. 5, 10.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. In gen., to stop, halt, pause; to stay, continue, remain, subsist: subsistere (in dicendo), Quint. 4, 5, 20; Ov. M. 12, 147: subsistit omnis sententia, Quint. 8, 5, 27: altius ibunt qui ad summa nitentur, quam qui circa ima substiterint, id. 1, prooem. 20: intra priorem paupertatem subsistere, Tac. A. 12, 53: equitum nomen subsistebat in turmis equorum publicorum, still remains or subsists only in, etc., Plin. 33, 1, 7, § 30: servum quoque et filium familias procuratorem posse habere aiunt: et quantum ad filium familias, verum est: in servo subsistimus, we pause, hesitate, are in doubt, Dig. 3, 3, 33; 12, 1, 32.
      2. 2. In partic.
        1. a. To stand still permanently, i. e. to come to a stop, to cease: substitit ut clamor pressus gravitate regentis, Ov. M. 1, 207: ingeniumque meis substitit omne malis, id. H. 15, 196: si nihil refert, brevis an longa sit ultima, idem pes erit; verum nescio quo modo sedebit hoc, illud subsistet, Quint. 9, 4, 94.
        2. b. (Acc. to A. 2. c.) To stand, withstand, be adequate to, sustain, support a thing: non si Varronis thesauros haberem, subsistere sumptui possem, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 10, 5: tantis periclis, Claud. ap. Eutr. 2, 368: liti, Dig. 21, 2, 62, § 1.
        3. c. To stand by, support any one (Appuleian): meis extremis aerumnis subsiste, App. M. 11, p. 257, 39; so id. ib. 2, p. 126, 23; 3, p. 139, 28; 5, p. 167, 9; 6, p. 174, 14.
        4. d. To stand or hold good, to subsist (late Lat.): non eo minus sententia adversus te latā juris ratione subsistit, Cod. Just. 2, 13, 14; 7, 2, 11.
        5. e. To withstand, make resistance: aut hanc esse veram religionem, cui ad vincendum tanta vis inest, aut illam falsam, quae subsistere non potest, Lact. 4, 27, 6.
  2. II. Act. (acc. to I. A. 2. c.), to make a stand against, withstand, encounter any one (very rare): praepotentem armis Romanum subsistere, Liv. 9, 31: feras, id. 1, 4.