What does subsist mean?
Word: Subsist
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Subsist means to manage to live on very little food or money.
How do you spell subsist?
Syllables: sub - sist
Tricky part: Both syllables sound much alike, and the second vowel is easy to blur. Students who are unsure write subsest, but the ending is ist.
Watch out for: subsest, subsiste
Memory tip: Resist, insist, subsist: say the three in a row and the same ending comes out each time, with no e anywhere near it.
Subsist in a sentence
Example 1: Early sailors had to subsist on dry biscuits and salted fish.
Example 2: Many young artists subsist on small grants until their first show.
Example 3: In the dry months the camels subsist on thorny shrubs and very little water.
Fun Fact
The noun from this verb gives us subsistence farming, which means growing just enough food for your own household, with little or nothing left over for the market.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
subscist
a) t
b) b
c) s
d) c
Show answer
d) c. Words like subscribe tempt the hand here, but the seven-letter verb has no room for this letter.
Mingle-Mangle
Which word do the jumbled letters in the sentence spell?
The hill farmers sbtsusi on maize and the little else they grow on their narrow terraces.
a) subsist
b) subject
c) subside
d) insist
Show answer
a) subsist. Three s's and no e, d or n: the other words cannot be made from these letters.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word subsist as used in the sentence:
The small team of scientists can subsist on tinned food through the long Antarctic winter.
a) study
b) wander
c) spend
d) survive
Show answer
d) survive. To get through a long winter on very little is to survive it.
Spell-o-Spell
One of these words is misspelt. Choose what it means.
1. exhilarate 2. subbsist 3. fluorescent 4. mnemonic
a) a rhyme or trick that helps you remember
b) to make someone feel happy and excited
c) to get by with only the bare needs of life
d) giving out a very bright light
Show answer
c) to get by with only the bare needs of life. Spot the b that should appear once, then match that verb to what it means.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A student who subsists on a small scholarship most likely ____.
a) buys a new phone at the start of each term
b) pays for all his friends on their outings
c) counts every rupee before spending it
d) eats at expensive restaurants each week
Show answer
c) counts every rupee before spending it
2. A traveller with almost no money might have to subsist on ____.
a) plain rice and a little dal
b) a buffet at a fine hotel
c) three courses every evening
d) sweets from the best shops
Show answer
a) plain rice and a little dal
