livelihood
n. C / Un. the way you earn the money you need to pay for food, a home, and other basics. It is often used when talking about how a job or a business keeps someone alive and well.
n. the means of securing the necessities of life, typically through employment or a trade. Often used in contexts where a person's ability to support themselves is threatened or protected.
Fishing is the main livelihood for people in this village.
The new environmental regulations could threaten the livelihood of thousands of local farmers who depend on the land.
Many traditional artisans found their livelihood endangered by the sudden influx of cheap, mass-produced goods that flooded the local market during the industrial boom.
From Middle English liflode, from Old English līflād (“course of life, conduct”), from līf (“life”) + lād (“course, journey”), later altered under the influence of lively, -hood. Compare life, lode.
Often used in the singular with a possessive adjective (e.g., 'their livelihood') or as a collective concept.