Definition of maintenance
Etymology
From Middle English mayntenaunce, from Old French maintenance, from maintenir, from Latin manus tenere (“to hold in the hand”).
Note that maintain has undergone a sound and spelling change, hence spelt with -tain, rather than the -ten- still found in maintenance.
Pronunciation
- (Canada) IPA: /ˈmeɪntɪnəns/
- IPA: /ˈmeɪntənəns/, SAMPA: /"meInt@n@ns/
- Audio (US) [?]
Noun
maintenance (plural maintenances)
- (law) A tort committed when a third party who does not have a bona fide interest in a lawsuit provides help or acquires an interest to a litigant's lawsuit.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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