susține

Forms

a susține (third-person singular present susține, past participle susținut, third-person subjunctive susțină) 3rd conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin sustineō (“to hold up, support”), borrowed from French soutenir, fitted to the conjugation of ține.^[2][3][1] MDA2 and the DLR name only the Latin verb, conjugated like that one,^[4][5] while Marcu takes the Latin verb on the model of the French one^[6] and Șăineanu called the word modelled on French.^[7] The Latin verb is formed sub- (“under”) and teneō (“to hold”);^[8][1] the French verb continues *sustenio, an altered form of it.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 dates the first record to 1857, in C. Aristia's translation of Plutarch, with the physical sense “to hold up”: „a rupt în două stâlpul care susținea culmea casei” “he broke in two the pillar that held up the ridge of the house”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb arrived in the 19th century with most of the senses of its models: to bear a weight, to keep someone from falling, to stand up for a cause or a person, to assert, and to provide for someone.^[2][5] Pontbriant's dictionary of 1862 already glosses it with French “to support, bear; assert, affirm; protect, defend”.^[10] The reflexive means to earn one's own living and to keep on one's feet.^[2][11] A later academic sense is to present and defend a thesis or sit an examination, a susține un examen.^[2][12]

Beside the modern form, MDA2 records old susținea, conjugated like a verb in -ea, and regional subține and supține.^[4][13]

Timeline

• 1857 – susținea “held up” in C. Aristia's translation of Plutarch, the first record.^[4][5]
• 1862 – Pontbriant glosses the verb with French soutenir and affirmer.^[10]
• 1929 – Șăineanu describes it as modelled on French soutenir.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To support, to bear the weight of something; to hold someone up so that they do not fall.^[2][4][1]
2. (transitive, figurative) To take the side of an action, a cause or a person; to defend.^[2][1]
3. (transitive, figurative) To argue for an idea or a theory; to assert, to maintain: Susține că nu a fost acasă.^[2][1]
4. (transitive) To present oneself for an examination, or to present and defend a thesis.^[2][12][1]
5. (transitive) To keep a person or an institution with money or goods;^[2][1] (reflexive) to earn one's own living.^[2][1]
6. (reflexive) To stand on one's feet;^[2] (rare, figurative) to hold one's ground.^[2]

Related words

• menține
• ține
• Latin sustineō
• French soutenir

Usage notes

An older present susțiu (subjunctive să susțiu) occurs beside susțin.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 1081
3. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria, p. s.v. susține
4. ^ a b c d e f Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 1077
5. ^ a b c d Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. susține
6. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. susține
7. ^ a b Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 632
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Pontbriant, Raoul de (1862), Dictiunaru romano-francesu, Bucuresci: A. Ulrich / Göttingen: Dieterich, p. 720
11. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. susține
12. ^ a b Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. susține
13. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România