'Maintenance' definitions:

Definition of 'maintenance'

(from WordNet)
noun
Activity involved in maintaining something in good working order; "he wrote the manual on car care" [syn: care, maintenance, upkeep]
noun
Means of maintenance of a family or group
noun
Court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated [syn: alimony, maintenance]
noun
The act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence; "they were in want of sustenance"; "fishing was their main sustainment" [syn: sustenance, sustentation, sustainment, maintenance, upkeep]
noun
The unauthorized interference in a legal action by a person having no interest in it (as by helping one party with money or otherwise to continue the action) so as to obstruct justice or promote unnecessary litigation or unsettle the peace of the community; "unlike champerty, criminal maintenance does not necessarily involve personal profit" [syn: maintenance, criminal maintenance]

Definition of 'Maintenance'

From: GCIDE
  • Maintenance \Main"te*nance\, n. [OF. maintenance. See Maintain.]
  • 1. The act of maintaining; sustenance; support; defense; vindication. [1913 Webster]
  • Whatsoever is granted to the church for God's honor and the maintenance of his service, is granted to God. --South. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. That which maintains or supports; means of sustenance; supply of necessaries and conveniences. [1913 Webster]
  • Those of better fortune not making learning their maintenance. --Swift. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. (Crim. Law) An officious or unlawful intermeddling in a cause depending between others, by assisting either party with money or means to carry it on. See Champerty. --Wharton. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. Those actions required for the care of machinery, a building, etc., to keep it clean and in proper functioning condition, and to prevent or forestall damage due to normal use. [PJC]
  • 5. Payments, such as child support or alimony, to a dependent child not living with one or to a divorced wife. [PJC]
  • Cap of maintenance. See under Cap. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'maintenance'

From: Moby Thesaurus