maintain: [13] Etymologically, maintain means ‘hold in the hand’. It comes via Old French maintenir from Vulgar Latin *manūtenēre ‘support’, a compound verb formed from manū, the ablative case of manus ‘hand’, and tenēre ‘hold’. The derivative maintenance [14] comes from Old French. => maintenance, manual, tenant
maintain (v.)
mid-13c., "to practice habitually," from Anglo-French meintenir (Old French maintenir, 12c.) "keep (a wife), sustain; persevere in, practice continually," from Latin manu tenere "hold in the hand," from manu, ablative of manus "hand" (see manual) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "to carry on, keep up" is from mid-14c.; that of "to keep oneself, to support" is from late 14c. Sense of "to defend in speech" is from mid-14c. Related: Maintained; maintaining; maintains.
中文解释
1. man- / manu- => main- + -tain.2. => hold in the hand, keep in the hand.3. => practice habitually, practice continually; keep (a wife), sustain; keep oneself, support, defend in speech.
实用例句
1. In New Zealand, the Maori people maintain a strong cultural tradition.
在新西兰，毛利人保持着深厚的文化传统。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The government was right to maintain interest rates at a high level.
政府维持高利率的做法是正确的。
来自柯林斯例句
3. The psychiatrist must learn to maintain an unusual degree of objectivity.
精神科医生务必要学会保持超乎寻常的客观态度。
来自柯林斯例句
4. She could not maintain her balance and moved in a wobbly fashion.
她无法保持平衡，走路颤颤巍巍。
来自柯林斯例句
5. His critics maintain that he's responsible for many of Algeria's ills.