Sustenance

  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Sustenance

Definition: Sustenance

Sustenance

Noun

1. A source of materials to nourish the body.

2. The financial means whereby one lives; "each child was expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state for support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood".

3. The act of sustaining.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "sustenance" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Etymology: Sustenance \Sus"te*nance\, noun. [Old French expression sustenance, sostenance, soustenance: compare to Latin sustenentia endurance. See Sustain.]. (Websters 1913)


Synonyms: Sustenance

Synonyms: aliment (n), alimentation (n), bread and butter (n), keep (n), livelihood (n), living (n), maintenance (n), nourishment (n), nutriment (n), nutrition (n), support (n), sustainment (n), sustentation (n), upkeep (n), victuals (n). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Sustenance

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Food

Food, pabulum; aliment, nourishment, nutriment; sustenance, sustentation, sustention; nurture, subsistence, provender, corn, feed, fodder, provision, ration, keep, commons, board; commissariat; (provision); prey, forage, pasture, pasturage; fare, cheer; diet, dietary; regimen; belly timber, staff of life; bread, bread and cheese.

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Sustenance

English words defined with "sustenance": bare, barren, bleak, Boscagecater, CorodydesolateEstoversFood yolkply, provideRight of supportstark, supply, Sustentacle. (references)
Specialty definitions using "sustenance": Baptismecological systemFirmamentLizardrotary debuggerWet Nurse. (references)
Etymologies containing "sustenance": sustentation. (references)

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Modern Usage: Sustenance

DomainUsage

Screenplays

Red meat, we crave sustenance! (Twister; writing credit: Michael Crichton; Anne-Marie Martin)

Only basic sustenance and time. (Stargate SG-1; writing credit: Robert C. Cooper; Brad Wright)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Sustenance

DomainTitle

Books

  • An historical, scientific, and practical essay on milk as an article of human sustenance (reference)

  • Development and Sustenance of Self-Esteem in Childhood (reference)

  • Sources: Letters from the Irish People on Sustenance for the Soul (reference)

  • Sustenance organization and migration in nonmetropolitan America (reference)

  • White Sustenance (Wick Poetry Chapbook) (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Music

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Photo Album: Sustenance

ThumbnailDescription & Credit

Minerals venting from the seafloor, provide chemosynthetic sustenance for bacteria, some of Earth's earliest life,. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Historic Usage: Sustenance

AuthorDateQuotation

John Locke

1690

In those viviparous animals which feed on grass, the conjunction between male and female lasts no longer than the very act of copulation; because the teat of the dam being sufficient to nourish the young, till it be able to feed on grass, the male only begets, but concerns not himself for the female or young, to whose sustenance he can contribute nothing. (Second Treatise of Government)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Sustenance

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

Neurons depend wholly on glucose for their sustenance and when glucose metabolism falters, they suffer in various ways. For example, they cannot manufacture as much acetylcholine as normal cells, which may be one reason this neurotransmitter declines in Alzheimer's. (references)

Business

The players think that the channel will be part of the system and no vendor can afford to completely do away with it. The inherent advantages of the two-tier distribution model will ensure the sustenance and growth of the channel, which still holds above 70 percent of sales for vendors and will continue to do so. For the sheer scales of economy, the way to market the product to the customer will need a face and a delivery mechanism, and hence the channel. (references)

Civil Liberties

Nepal

The camps are administered by UNHCR; the World Food Program (WFP) provides sustenance and the Government makes a contribution to the WFP earmarked for the refugees. (references)

Economic History

Finland

The two organizations agreed to share information concerning opportunities for private investment, exchange knowledge of techniques for the encouragement and sustenance of investment, including approaches to risk mitigation and management, and encourage cooperative enterprises among their nationals to finance private investment in developing economies. (references)

Worker Rights

El Salvador

Minors, age 14 or older, may receive special Labor Ministry permission to work, but only where such employment is indispensable to the sustenance of the minor and his or her family. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Spoken Usage: Sustenance

SpeakerPhrase(s)

Rush Limbaugh

International terrorists and the rogue states that give them sustenance and protection are our sworn enemies.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Sustenance

"Sustenance" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.21% of the time. "Sustenance" is used about 127 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Noun (singular)99.21%12628,512
Noun (proper)0.79%1339,140
                    Total100.00%127N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expression: Sustenance

Hypenated Usage

Ending with "sustenance": self-sustenance.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Sustenance

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

sustenance

4
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Sustenance

Language Translations for "sustenance"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Albanian

  

ushqim (aliment, alimentation, alimony, allowance, chow, chuck, comestible, cuisine, diet, dish, eatables, eating, fare, feed, feeding, food, foodstuff, grub, input, meat, nourishment, nurture, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum, pot luck, provender, repast, supply, table, tack, Tommy), mjete jetese (livelihood, maintenance, subsistence), mbështetje (adhesion, aegis, aliment, alimentation, alimony, backup, foundation, furtherance, pillar, promotion, purchase, recourse, stock, support, sustention, tower). (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏معيشة (life), ‏مصدر رزق, ‏قوت (aliment, bread, food, nourishment, nutriment, subsistence, victual), ‏تغذية (alimentation, feeding, nourishment, nurture, nutrition, supply), ‏سند (back, backlog, bolster, instrument, obligation, policy, prop, repose, script, shore, support), ‏عول (keen, moan, pule, ram, responsibility, snivel, ululate, wail), ‏إعالة (maintenance), ‏رزق (bread, life, livelihood, potboiler). (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

хранене (alimentation, feed, feeding, meal, nourishment, nurture, nutrition), храна (aliment, board, boarding, chow, chuck, diet, dietary, eating, edibles, fare, feed, fodder, food, fuel, meal, meat, nourishment, nurture, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum, provender, rations, scran, tack, viands, victuals), хранителност (richness), прехрана (keep, livelihood, living, nourishment, subsistence), препитание (nourishment, subsistence), поддържане (maintenance, promotion, support, supporting, upkeep), поддръжка (advocacy, backing up, help, maintenance, push, support, sustentation, upkeep), питателност (nutritiousness, nutritive value, substantiality). (various references)

   

Czech

  

výživa (aliment, diet, nourishment, nutrition, pabulum), potrava (aliment, food, nourishment, nurture, nutriment), jídlo (chop suey, dish, feed, food, meal, nurture, repast, tack, tuck, victual, victuals), živobytí (keep, livelihood, living, subsistence). (various references)

   

Farsi 

  

معاش (Livelihood), نگهداری 1 (Conservation, Maintenance, Preservation, Restraint, Retention, Retinue, Upkeep), تغذیه (Nourish, Nourishment, Nurture, Nutrition), اعانت (Sponsorship). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

ylläpito (maintenance, support, upkeep), elatus (livelihood, living, maintenance, subsistence). (various references)

   

French

  

sustentation, subsistance (subsistence), nourriture. (various references)

   

German

  

Unterhalt (alimony, keep, livelihood, maintenance, upkeep). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

συντήρηση (conservation, keep, keeping, maintenance, preservation, subsistence, support, upkeep), τροφή (aliment, diet, fare, feed, food, grub, nourishment, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum, viand), διατροφή (alimony, diet, sustentation), διατήρηση (conservation, keep, maintenance, preservation, sustentation, upkeep). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

מחי" (food, keep, living, subsistence), מזון (fare, food, meal, meat, nourishment, pabulum), תמיכ" (aid, assistance, countenance, help, hold, support). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

fenntartás (caveat, continuance, continuation, maintenance, provisions, proviso, qualification, reservation, reserve, salvo, sustainment, upkeep, vindication), tápérték (nutritional value), élelmezés (boarding, catering, feeding, keeping, nutrition). (various references)

   

Italian

  

sostentamento (keep, maintenance, support, upkeep), nutrimento (aliation, feeding, food, nourishment, nurture, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum, provisions). (various references)

   

Manx

  

lhongey (collation, feed, grub, oatmeal, repast), beaghey (feed, foodstuffs, live, livelihood, maintain, nourish, nourishment, nurture, nutrition). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

ustenancesay

   

Portuguese

  

sustento (diet, feed, food, keep, keeping, livelihood, living, maintenance, nourishment, nurture, pabulum, subsistence, support), sustentação (support, sustention), valor nutritivo (nutritional value), princípio (beginning, commencement, first, foundation, fount, fundamental, origin, outset, prelude, prime, principle, start, tenet, threshold), manutenção (conservation, livelihood, support, upkeep), amparo (anchorage, cover, defence, defense, fostering, patronage, protection, refuge, rock, shield, support, supporter), alimento (aliment, alimony, bread, combustible, diet, eating, feed, fuel, keeping, nosh, nourishment, nutriment, pabulum, peck, pension, provender, victual). (various references)

   

Romanian

  

subzistenţã (keep, subsistence, support), valoare nutritivã, mijloace de existenţã, hranã (board, bread, diet, eatable, eats, esculent, fare, feed, food, keep, meat, nourishment, nutriment, nutrition, support), chivernisealã (administration, sinecure), întreţinere (feeding, keep, keeping, livelihood, maintenance, repair, support, upkeep). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

средства к существованию (livelihood, living, means of subsistence, subsistence), питательность (food value), питание (aliment, alimentation, aliments, alimony, board, feed, feeding, food, nourishment, nuitrition, nurture, nutriment, nutrition, supply). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

potpora (backing, brace, buttress, falsework, help, prop, stay, support, sustention, trestle), podrška (aliment, backing, backup, boost, support), izdržavanje (aliment, alimentation, alimony, keep, livelihood, maintenance, support, sustention), žitak. (various references)

   

Spanish

  

sustento (bread, livelihood, living, nourishment, sustentation, sustention). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

uppehälle (bread, keep, livelihood, living, subsistence). (various references)

   

Thai

  

การบำรุงเลี้ยง. (various references)

   

Turkish

  

yardım (aid, alms, assist, assistance, backing, backup, booster, comfort, contribution, cooperation, dole, donation, donative, Favor, favour, furtherance, hand, help, helpfulness, lift, relief, rescue, shot, stand by, succor, succour, support, welfare), yaşatma (sustentation), gıda (aliment, diet, fare, food, nourishment, nutrient, nutriment, nutrition, pabulum), destek (aid, anchorage, assistance, backing, backup, bolster, booster, brace, bracer, bracket, buttress, contribution, cooperation, corbel, countenance, crutch, endorsement, friend, indorsement, mounting, pillar, pit prop, prop, reinforcement, relief, rest, rider, second, shore, shot, sponsorship, spur, staff, stake, stanchion, stand by, stay, stiffening, strut, support, supporter, supporting, truss, underlay, upholder), besleyici değer, besleme (alimentation, feeding, handmaid, lead in, nourishment, nurse, nurture, nutrition, servant girl, supply, sustentation), besin (aliment, food, nourishment, nutrient, nutriment, nutrition, nutritional, pabulum, sustentation, tack). (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

харчування (aliment, alimentation, alimony, feed, feeding, food, living, meal, nourishment, nurture, nutriment, nutrition, sustentation), засоби для існування (living), поживність (richness, substantiality). (various references)

   

Vietnamese 

  

chất bổ. (various references)

   

Welsh

  

ymborth (aliment, board, food), porthiant (food, support). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Sustenance

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Sumerian3100 BCE-2500 BCE

gu. (various references)

Latin500 BCE-Modern

augmenta, augmentum, cibi, cibis, cibo, ciborum, ciborumque, cibos, cibum, cibus, nutrimenta, pabula, pabulum, victualia, victus. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Bible Trace: Sustenance

LanguageDateSourceActs Chapter 7, Verse 11
Greek (transliterated)250 BCSeptuagintHlqen de limoV ef olhn thn ghn aiguptou kai canaan kai qliyiV megalh kai ouc euriskon cortasmata oi patereV hmwn
Latin405VulgateVenit autem fames in universam Aegyptum et Chanaan et tribulatio magna et non inveniebant cibos patres nostri
Middle English1395WyclifAnd hungur cam in to al Egipt, and Canaan, and greet tribulacioun; and oure fadris founden not mete.
Renaissance English1526TyndaleThen came ther a derth over all the londe of Egipt and Canaan and great affliccion that our fathers founde no sustenauce.
Jacobean English1611King JamesNow there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
Victorian English1833WebsterNow there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction; and our fathers found no sustenance.
Basic English1964OgdenNow there was no food to be had in all Egypt and Canaan, and there was great trouble: and our fathers were not able to get food.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Matched Bible Translations: Sustenance

LanguageActs Chapter 7, Verse 11
AlbanianPor ra një zi buke dhe u bë një shtrëngesë në gjithë vendin e Egjiptit dhe të Kanaanit, dhe etërit tanë nuk gjenin ushqime.
CebuanoUg unya miabut ang gutom ug ang dakung kagul-anan sa tibuok Egipto ug Canaan, ug ang atong mga ginikanan walay hingkaplagang mga makaon.
CroatianOnda u cijeloj zemlji egipatskoj i kanaanskoj nasta glad i nevolja velika: oci naši ne mogahu naæi hrane.
DanishMen der kom Hungersnød over hele Ægypten og Kanån og en stor Trængsel, og vore Fædre fandt ikke Føde.
DutchEn er kwam een hongersnood over het gehele land van Egypte en Kanaan, en grote benauwdheid; en onze vaders vonden geen spijs.
FinnishJa tuli nälänhätä koko Egyptiin ja Kanaaniin ja suuri vaiva, eivätkä meidän isämme saaneet mistään ravintoa.
FrenchIl survint une famine dans tout le pays d`Égypte, et dans celui de Canaan. La détresse était grande, et nos pères ne trouvaient pas de quoi se nourrir.
GermanEs kam aber eine teure Zeit über das ganze Land Ägypten und Kanaan und große Trübsal, und unsere Väter fanden nicht Nahrung.
Haitian CreoleApre sa, vin gen yon grangou nan tout peyi Lejip ak nan peyi Kanaran. Moun t'ap soufri anpil. Zansèt nou yo pa t' jwenn anyen pou yo te manje.
HungarianKövetkezék pedig éhség Égyiptom és Kanaán egész földére, és nagy nyomorúság; és nem találnak vala eledelt a mi atyáink.
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hariKemudian terjadi suatu masa kelaparan yang besar di seluruh negeri Mesir dan Kanaan sehingga orang menderita sekali. Nenek moyang kita tidak bisa mendapat makanan.
Indonesian-Terjemahan LamaMaka datanglah bala kelaparan ke atas seluruh tanah Mesir dan Kanaan itu beserta dengan kesukaran yang besar, sehingga nenek moyang kita tiada lagi dapat makanan.
ItalianVenne una carestia su tutto l'Egitto e in Canaan e una grande miseria, e i nostri padri non trovavano da mangiare.
LatvianTad nâca bads un lielas cieðanas pâr visu Çìipti un Kanaanu, un mûsu tçvi neatrada vairs pârtiku.
MaoriNa i reira ka puta he matekai ki te whenua katoa o Ihipa, o Kanaana, a he mate nui: kihai rawa i kitea he oranga e o tatou matua.
NorwegianSå kom det hungersnød over hele Egyptens land og Kana'an, og stor trengsel, og våre fedre fant ikke føde.
PortugueseSobreveio então uma fome a todo o Egito e Canaã, e grande tribulação; e nossos pais não achavam alimentos.   
RumanianA venit o foamete kn tot Egiptul wi Canaanul. Nevoia era mare, wi pqrinyii nowtri nu gqseau merinde.
Shuar`Tímiatam tsuka tura itiurchatcha ámiayi Ejiptu Núnkanam. Tura jui Kanaan nunkanmasha Núnisan ámiayi. Tuma asamtai ii uuntri yurumkan penké Wáincharmiayi.
SwahiliKisha, kulizuka njaa kubwa katika nchi yote ya Misri na Kanaani, ikasababisha dhiki kubwa. Babu zetu hawakuweza kupata chakula chochote.
SwedishOch hungersnöd kom över hela Egypten och Kanaan med stort betryck, och våra fäder kunde icke få något att äta.
UmaNgkai ree, rata-mi oro' bohe hobo' hi tana' Mesir pai' tana' Kanaan. Rata-mi oro' bohe toe, wori' tauna to ntodohaka, pai' ntu'a-ta wo'o uma-pi ria pongkoni' -ra.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Sustenance

Derivations

Words beginning with "sustenance": sustenances. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Sustenance" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: substenance, suscenance, sustenence, sustinance. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Sustenance"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "sustenance" (pronounced su"stununs)
7-s t u n u n sabstinence.
6-t u n u n scountenance, incontinence, maintenance.
5-u n u n schrominance, dissonance, dominance, eminence, immanence, imminence, luminance, ordinance, permanence, predominance, preeminence, prominence, provenance, resonance.
4-n u n sgovernance, Ordnance, penance.
3-u n sabeyance, abhorrence, absence, abundance, acceptance, accordance, acquaintance, acquiescence, adherence, admirations, admittance, adolescence, affluence, allegiance, alliance, allowance, ambiance, ambience, ambivalence, ambulance, annoyance, appearance, appliance, arrogance, ascendance, assistance, assurance, attendance, audience, avoidance, balance, belligerence, beneficence, benevolence, bioscience, brilliance, cadence, capacitance, circumference, clairvoyance, Clarence, clearance, coexistence, cognizance, coherence, coincidence, coinsurance, comeuppance, competence, compliance, concurrence, condolence, conference, confidence, confluence, conformance, congruence, connivance, conscience, consequence, consistence, continuance, contrivance, convalescence, convenience, convergence, conveyance, correspondence, counterbalance, counterintelligence, credence, dalliance, decadence, Defeasance, deference, defiance, deliverance, dependence, deterrence, deviance, difference, diligence, disallowance, disappearance, discontinuance, disobedience, dissidence, distance, disturbance, divergence, ebullience, elegance, eloquence, emergence, endurance, entrance, equivalence, essence, evanescence, evidence, excellence, existence, expedience, experience, extravagance, exuberance, flamboyance, Florence, forbearance, fragrance, furtherance, grievance, guidance, hindrance, ignorance, imbalance, impatience, impedance, importance, impotence, imprudence, inadvertence, incidence, incoherence, incompetence, inconvenience, independence, indifference, inductance, indulgence, inexperience, inference, influence, inheritance, innocence, insignificance, insistence, insolence, instance, insurance, intelligence, interdependence, interference, intolerance, intransigence, invariance, irrelevance, irreverence, issuance, jurisprudence, licence, license, luminescence, malfeasance, negligence, neuroscience, noncompliance, noninterference, nonviolence, nuisance, obedience, observance, obsolescence, occurrence, omnipotence, omnipresence, opulence, overabundance, overconfidence, overdependence, overreliance, parlance, patience, performance, persecutions, perseverance, persistence, pestilence, petulance, phosphorescence, pittance, precedence, preference, preponderance, prescience, presence, prevalence, protuberance, Providence, province, prudence, pseudoscience, quintessence, radiance, reappearance, reassurance, recalcitrance, recognizance, reconnaissance, recurrence, reemergence, reference, reinspections, reinsurance, relevance, reliance, reluctance, remembrance, reminiscence, remittance, repentance, resemblance, residence, resilience, resistance, resurgence, reticence, reverence, riddance, science, semblance, senescence, sentence, sequence, severance, significance, silence, submergence, subservience, subsidence, subsistence, substance, surveillance, teleconference, temperance, tolerance, transcendence, transference, transience, turbulence, unbalance, utterance, Valence, variance, vehemence, vengeance, videoconference, vigilance, violence, virulence.

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Sustenance

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-c-e-e-n-n-s-s-t-u"

-1 letter: acuteness.

-2 letters: canteens, cuteness, neatness, nutcases.

-3 letters: ascents, caestus, canteen, cetanes, cuestas, cuneate, ectases, encases, entases, nascent, neatens, nuances, nutcase, sateens, seances, secants, senates, senecas, sennets, sensate, stances, suntans, tenaces, uncases, uneases, uneaten, unseats, usances.

-4 letters: acutes, aeneus, anenst, anuses, ascent, assent, cantus, castes, causes, ceases, censes, census, centas, cestas, cestus, cetane, cuesta, enacts.

 Words containing the letters "a-c-e-e-n-n-s-s-t-u"
 

+1 letter: sustenances.

 

+2 letters: subtenancies, unchasteness.

 

+3 letters: conjugateness, consentaneous, neurasthenics, staunchnesses, tenaciousness, translucences, uncertainness.

 

+4 letters: translucencies, unaffectedness, unchastenesses.

 

+5 letters: accountableness, conjugatenesses, consentaneously, discountenances, ineffectualness, inscrutableness, semitranslucent, sesquicentenary, tenaciousnesses, uncertainnesses.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern
5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Photo Album
7. Quotations: Historic
8. Quotations: Non-fiction
9. Quotations: Spoken
10. Usage Frequency
11. Expressions
12. Expressions: Internet
13. Translations: Modern
14. Translations: Ancient
15. Bible Trace
16. Derivations
17. Rhymes
18. Anagrams
19. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.