mid-14c., maintenaunce, "wrongful interference in others' lawsuits by a lord or his followers," from Old French maintenance "upkeep; shelter, protection," from maintenir "to keep, sustain; persevere in" (see maintain). Meaning "action of upholding or keeping in good order" is from early 15c. That of "action of providing a person with the necessities of life," also "financial provision or support, that which maintains or supports" is from late 14c.

"maintenance; cost of maintenance," 1849, from verbal phrase keep up "maintain in good order or condition" (1660s); see up (adv.) + keep (v.).

also almshouse, "poorhouse, building where lodging and maintenance is provided for the poor," late 14c., from alms + house (n.).

also slaveocracy, "slave-owners collectively," in U.S. history especially, "the political dominance of slave-owners and their interests," especially as regarded the maintenance of slavery, 1840, formed irregularly from slave (n.) + -cracy "rule or government by." Related: Slavocrat.

late 14c., sustentacioun, "quality of being able to hold or support (someone or something); maintenance or continuance (of something)," from Anglo-French, Old French sustentacion, sostentacion "sustaining of life," from Latin sustentationem (nominative sustentatio) "maintenance," noun of action from past participle stem of sustentare "hold upright; feed, nourish, support; hold out, endure, suffer," frequentative of sustinere "to hold up" (see sustain). The sense of "support, preservation from falling or sinking" is by c. 1400. Related: Sustentative.

"railway maintenance worker," 1918, American English slang, of unknown origin; dancer perhaps from movements required in the work of tamping down ties or pumping a hand-cart, gandy perhaps from the name of a machinery belt company in Baltimore, Maryland.

also peacekeeping, 1961 in the international sense, "regular maintenance by an organization of peace between nations or communities," from peace + keeping, verbal noun from keep (v.). Earlier "preservation of law and order" (mid-15c.), from verbal phrase keep the peace. Related: Peace-keeper (1570s).

c. 1400, repaire, "maintenance, restoration;" 1590s, "act of restoring, restoration to a sound or good state after decay," from repair (v.1). Meaning "state or condition in respect to reparation" is from c. 1600, especially "good or sound condition kept up by repairing as needed." Repair-shop attested by 1877.

1841, "military spirit, addiction to war or military practice," from French militarisme, from militaire "military" (see military); also see -ism. By 1864 in reference to nations or peoples, "predominance of the military class, maintenance of national power by means of standing armies."

Old English hamstede "home, town, village," from home (n.) + stead (q.v.). In U.S. usage, "a lot of land adequate for the maintenance of a family" (1690s), defined by the Homestead Act of 1862 as 160 acres. Similar formation in Dutch heemstede, Danish hjemsted.