Lewis & Short

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sustĭnĕo, tĭnŭi, tentum, 2, v. a. [subs for sub, and teneo], to hold up, hold upright, uphold, to bear up, keep up, support, sustain (syn. fulcio).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. 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.
    2. B. In partic., to hold or keep back, to keep in, stay, check, restrain, control, etc. (syn.: refreno, supprimo, moror): currum equosque, Lucil. ap. Cic. Att. 13, 21, 3: currum, id. Lael. 17, 63 (v. infra, II. B. 3.): equos, Caes. B. G. 4, 33: remos, Cic. Att. 13, 21, 3: manum, Ov. F. 5, 302: sustinet a jugulo dextram, Verg. A. 11, 750: a jugulo nitentem sustinet hastam, Stat. Th. 2, 648: flumina Threiciā lyrā, Prop. 3, 2, 2 (4, 1, 42): nunc agendo, nunc sustinendo agmen, Liv. 25, 36, 1: aliud simile miraculum eos sustinuit, id. 5, 39, 2: signa, id. 31, 24, 8: gradum, Ov. F. 6, 398: perterritum exercitum, Caes. B. C. 1, 71: se, Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 41; Val. Fl. 3, 100: se ab omni assensu, i. e. to refrain, Cic. Ac. 2, 15, 48: se a respondendo, id. ib. 2, 32, 104.
      Poet.: celeres vias, i. e. to halt, Sen. Hippol. 794.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. 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.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. 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.
      2. 2. 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.
          1. (β) 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.
      3. 3. (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.