sustainment

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

sustainment
    n 1: 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}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Sustainment \Sus*tain"ment\, n.
   The act of sustaining; maintenance; support. --Milton.
   Lowell.
   [1913 Webster]