maintenance

[meyn-tuh-nuh ns] /ˈmeɪn tə nəns/
noun
1.
the act of maintaining.
2.
the state of being maintained:
the maintenance of friendly relations with England.
3.
care or upkeep, as of machinery or property:
With proper maintenance the car will last for many years.
4.
means of upkeep, support, or subsistence; livelihood:
to provide a comfortable maintenance.
5.
alimony or child support.
6.
Law. an officious meddling in a suit in which the meddler has no interest, by assisting either party with means to prosecute or defend it.
adjective
7.
Pharmacology, Psychiatry. administered to sustain a desired physiological or mental condition:
maintenance dose.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English maintenaunce < Middle French maintenance. See maintain, -ance
Related forms
nonmaintenance, noun
premaintenance, noun
self-maintenance, noun
Synonyms
4. See living.
Examples from the web for maintenance
  • Major construction and maintenance projects affecting through traffic are listed here.
  • Special emphasis will be on research, development and maintenance of consortium accounts.
  • These are grasses that are lower maintenance than varieties like bluegrass.
  • The party's chief ambition, now that it has abandoned Marxism, seems to be the maintenance of its own power.
  • Find detailed listings of road and weather conditions, as well as reports on construction and maintenance activities.
  • Low-maintenance kitchen and bath countertops are great alternatives to stone.
  • These plants are low maintenance and eye-catching.
  • Responsible for classroom management, student evaluation, and records maintenance.
  • Rent limits discourage turnover, construction, and appropriate investment and maintenance.
  • Homes built with energy efficiency in mind should include roofing material that is durable, low maintenance, and reflective.
British Dictionary definitions for maintenance

maintenance

/ˈmeɪntɪnəns/
noun
1.
the act of maintaining or the state of being maintained
2.
a means of support; livelihood
3.
(modifier) of or relating to the maintaining of buildings, machinery, etc: maintenance man
4.
(law) (formerly unlawful) the interference in a legal action by a person having no interest in it, as by providing funds to continue the action See also champerty
5.
(law) a provision ordered to be made by way of periodical payments or a lump sum, as after a divorce for a spouse
6.
(computing)
  1. the correction or prevention of faults in hardware by a programme of inspection and the replacement of parts
  2. the removal of existing faults and the modification of software in response to changes in specification or environment
Word Origin
C14: from Old French; see maintain
Word Origin and History for maintenance
n.

mid-14c., "bearing, deportment," from Old French maintenance "upkeep; shelter, protection,: from maintenir (see maintain). Meaning "action of upholding or keeping in being" is from early 15c. "Action of providing a person with the necessities of life" is from late 14c.

maintenance in Medicine

maintenance main·te·nance (mān'tə-nəns)
n.
The extent to which a patient continues good health practices without professional supervision, as distinguished from adherence or compliance.

maintenance in Technology

programming
The modification of a software product, after delivery, to correct faults, to improve performance or other attributes, or to adapt the product to a changed environment.
Maintenance is an important part of the software life-cycle. It is expensive in manpower and resources, and one of the aims of software engineering is to reduce its cost.
(1996-12-27)