maintenance
n.-
1 upkeep of things (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe work of keeping a building, machine, or system in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly.
the process of preserving a condition or situation or the state of being preserved; specifically, the routine functional upkeep of property or equipment.
ExampleThe school was closed for a week for essential building maintenance.
ExampleThe airline's rigorous maintenance schedule ensures that every aircraft undergoes a thorough mechanical inspection after a set number of flight hours.
UsageOften used as an uncountable noun or as an attributive noun before another word like 'crew' or 'costs'.
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2 financial support (n.) C1 Advanced British English Formal Lawmoney that someone pays regularly to help support a child or a former husband or wife after a divorce.
financial provision made by one person for another, typically following the dissolution of a marriage or for the upbringing of a child.
ExampleHe has been paying monthly maintenance to his ex-wife since their divorce.
ExampleThe court ordered the defendant to provide substantial maintenance payments to ensure the children could remain in their current private school.
Teacher's tipIn American English, 'alimony' is more common for a spouse, while 'child support' is used for children; 'maintenance' is the standard legal term in the UK.
- alimony
- child support
- subsistence
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3 biological process (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Academic Biologythe natural processes that keep a living thing alive and healthy.
the collection of metabolic processes required to keep an organism alive and functioning at a constant level.
ExampleThe body uses a lot of energy just for basic cell maintenance.
ExampleEven during periods of inactivity, the organism requires a baseline caloric intake to support essential cellular maintenance and repair.
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4 regular medication (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Dialect Medicinemedicine that a person takes every day to manage a long-term health condition.
a course of medical treatment or medication intended to keep a chronic condition under control rather than to cure it.
ExampleShe takes her maintenance pills every morning to keep her blood pressure stable.
ExampleThe physician adjusted the maintenance dose of the insulin to better manage the patient's fluctuating glucose levels.
Teacher's tipThis sense is particularly common in Philippine English as a colloquial way to refer to daily prescription drugs.
From Middle English mayntenaunce, from Old French maintenance, from maintenir, from Latin manus tenēre (“to hold in the hand”). By surface analysis, maintain + -ance. Note that maintain has undergone a sound and spelling change, hence is spelt with -tain-, rather than the -ten- still found in maintenance.