maintenance

(noun)

noun

1. activity involved in maintaining something in good working order

Similar word(s): care, upkeep

Definition categories: act, fix, fixing, fixture, mend, mending, repair, reparation

2. means of maintenance of a family or group

Definition categories: possession, keep, livelihood, living, support, sustenance

3. court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated

Similar word(s): alimony

Definition categories: possession

4. the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence

Similar word(s): sustainment, sustenance, sustentation, upkeep

Definition categories: act, support

5. the unauthorized interference in a legal action by a person having no interest in it (as by helping one party with money or otherwise to continue the action) so as to obstruct justice or promote unnecessary litigation or unsettle the peace of the community

- unlike champerty, criminal maintenance does not necessarily involve personal profit

Definition categories: act, misconduct, wrongdoing