Etymologically
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maintenance

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 23:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmeɪn.tən.əns/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English maintenaunce,[2][3] borrowed from Old French maintenance (“upkeep; shelter, protection”),[2][3] from maintenir “to keep, sustain”,[2][3] the source of maintain,[2][4] and the suffix -ance.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, wrongfully aiding and abetting litigation: 1321–2 in the OED;[6] the mid-14th century in Etymonline, of a lord or his followers interfering in others' lawsuits.[2] Bearing or behaviour: about 1369, now obsolete.[6]

Semantic evolution

Providing a person with the necessities of life, and financial support, is from the late 14th century (1389 in the OED).[2][6] Upholding a cause or right is from 1413,[6] and keeping something in working order or repair from about 1460, the early 15th century in Etymonline.[6][2] Support paid to a wife by a separated husband, separate maintenance, is from 1722.[6] In medicine, giving a patient a drug over a long period, as a maintenance dose, is from 1936.[6]

Timeline

  • 1321–2 – wrongful aid in litigation.[6]
  • c. 1369 – bearing (obsolete).[6]
  • 1389 – financial support.[6]
  • 1413 – upholding a cause.[6]
  • c. 1460 – upkeep, repair.[6]
  • 1722 – separate maintenance.[6]
  • 1936 – a maintenance dose.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The work of keeping something in good condition; upkeep.
  2. The act of maintaining or the state of being maintained.
  3. Financial support, especially paid to a former spouse; alimony.
  4. (law) Unlawful intervention in a lawsuit by aiding one party.

Word family

  • nonmaintenance
  • premaintenance
  • maintenance-free
  • health maintenance organization

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press