Etymologically
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support

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /səˈpɔːt/, US /səˈpɔːrt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English supporten, borrowed from Old French supporter (“to bear, endure”), and directly borrowed from Latin supportāre (“to convey, carry, bring up”),[2][3] formed from Latin sub- (“from below, up”) + portāre (“to carry”).[4][5] In Late Latin the verb also meant “to bear, endure”, the sense in which it first entered English.[6][7] The root is Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to lead, pass over”), as in port “to carry” and import.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To put up with, tolerate, about 1384 in the Wycliffe Bible.[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The physical sense “to hold up, prop up, bear the weight of” followed in the late 14th century,[2][3] with “to sustain with food and the necessities of life” recorded before 1393.[3] “To provide money for” is from the early 15th century,[2] “to back a course of action” by the 1630s, and “to second a motion or proposal” by 1736.[2] Troops have been said to support one another in battle since 1848.[2] In the theatre the verb meant “to act (a part)” in 1709 and “to accompany a leading performer” by 1889,[2] and “to be a fan of (a sports team)” is from 1952.[2] The noun, from the verb, first meant “help, backing” (late 14th century); its physical sense “a prop or base” is from the 1560s,[2] and “services that keep something working” (technical support) is from 1953.[2][8] Elizabethan writers tried several fuller nouns, such as supportance, used by Shakespeare and Nashe, and Milton's supportment.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1384 – to tolerate, put up with (Wycliffe Bible).[3]
  • before 1393 – to supply with the necessities of life.[3]
  • before 1396 – to hold up, prop up.[3]
  • late 14th century – noun, assistance, backing.[2]
  • early 15th century – to supply funds for.[2]
  • 1560s – noun, a physical prop or support.[2]
  • 1593 – supportive.[3]
  • 1709 – in the theatre, to act a part.[2]
  • 1736 – to second a motion or proposition.[2]
  • 1848 – of troops, to reinforce in battle.[2]
  • 1889 – to accompany a leading performer.[2]
  • 1952 – to be a fan of a sports team.[2]
  • 1953 – noun, technical support services.[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To bear the weight of, especially from below; hold up.
  2. To provide (a person or family) with money or the necessities of life.
  3. To give help, comfort or encouragement to.
  4. To back (a cause, policy or candidate); speak in favour of (a motion).
  5. To supply evidence for; corroborate.
  6. To endure, put up with.
  7. To be a fan of (a sports team).

Noun

  1. The act of supporting, or the state of being supported.
  2. A person or thing that supports, such as a prop or brace.
  3. The means of living; maintenance.
  4. Services that keep a product or system working: technical support.

Word family

  • supportability
  • supportable
  • supportive
  • supportiveness
  • supportingly
  • undersupport
  • nonsupport
  • life-support
  • port
  • portable
  • transport
  • report
  • supporter

Usage notes

Support is the most general of a group of verbs meaning “to give aid or encouragement”, beside uphold, back, advocate and champion.[9] RHWU distinguishes it from maintain (to keep intact), sustain (a more formal word, suggesting full and adequate support) and uphold (to back another's statement or rights).[10]

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 h i j k l m n o p q r s t Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  10. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House