SUBSIST
exist, survive, live, subsist
(verb) support oneself; “he could barely exist on such a low wage”; “Can you live on $2000 a month in New York City?”; “Many people in the world have to subsist on $1 a day”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
subsist (third-person singular simple present subsists, present participle subsisting, simple past and past participle subsisted)
To survive on a minimum of resources.
(mostly, philosophy) To have ontological reality; to exist.
To retain a certain state; to continue.
Source: Wiktionary
Sub*sist", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Subsisted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Subsisting.] Etym: [L. subsistere to stand still, stay, remain alive;
sub under + sistere to stand, to cause to stand, from stare to stand:
cf. F. subsister. See Stand.]
1. To be; to have existence; to inhere.
And makes what happiness we justly call, Subsist not in the good of
one, but all. Pope.
2. To continue; to retain a certain state.
Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve. Milton.
3. To be maintained with food and clothing; to be supported; to live.
Milton.
To subsist on other men's charity. Atterbury.
Sub*sist", v. t.
Definition: To support with provisions; to feed; to maintain; as, to
subsist one's family.
He laid waste the adjacent country in order to render it more
difficult for the enemy to subsist their army. Robertson.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition