What does the word subsistence mean?

Usage examples for subsistence

  1. Thus things are called into existence or " outstandingness" by a power which itself does not stand out, and whose presence is therefore indicated by the word " subsistence." – The Creative Process in the Individual by Thomas Troward
  2. In regard to means of subsistence he was no better off now than when he began the world. – Phineas Redux by Anthony Trollope
  3. To the capital in existence all must come for their subsistence and their tools. – What Social Classes Owe to Each Other by William Graham Sumner