Burning ships the banished sun supply.
Waller.
The sun was set, and Vesper, to supply His absent beams, had
lighted up the sky.
Dryden.
3. To fill temporarily; to serve as substitute for another in, as a
vacant place or office; to occupy; to have possession of; as, to supply
a pulpit.
4. To give; to bring or furnish; to provide; as, to supply money for
the war. Prior.
Syn. -- To furnish; provide; administer; minister; contribute; yield;
accommodate.
Sup*ply", n.; pl. Supplies (&?;). 1. The act of supplying; supplial. A.
Tucker.
2. That which supplies a want; sufficiency of things for use or want.
Specifically: --
(a) Auxiliary troops or reënforcements. "My promised supply of
horsemen." Shak.
(b) The food, and the like, which meets the daily necessities of an
army or other large body of men; store; -- used chiefly in the plural;
as, the army was discontented for lack of supplies.
(c) An amount of money provided, as by Parliament or Congress, to meet
the annual national expenditures; generally in the plural; as, to vote
supplies.
(d) A person who fills a place for a time; one who supplies the place
of another; a substitute; esp., a clergyman who supplies a vacant
pulpit.
Stated supply (Eccl.), a clergyman employed to supply a pulpit for a
definite time, but not settled as a pastor. [U.S.] -- Supply and
demand. (Polit. Econ.) "Demand means the quantity of a given article
which would be taken at a given price. Supply means the quantity of
that article which could be had at that price." F. A. Walker.
Sup*ply", a. Serving to contain, deliver, or regulate a supply of
anything; as, a supply tank or valve.
Supply system (Zoöl.), the system of tubes and canals in sponges by
means of which food and water are absorbed. See Illust. of Spongiæ.
Sup*ply"ant (?), a. Supplying or aiding; auxiliary; suppletory. [Obs.]
Shak.
Sup*ply"ment (?), n. A supplying or furnishing; supply. [Obs.] Shak.
Sup*port" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Supported; p. pr. & vb. n.
Supporting.] [F. supporter, L. supportare to carry on, to convey, in
LL., to support, sustain; sub under + portare to carry. See Port
demeanor.] 1. To bear by being under; to keep from falling; to uphold;
to sustain, in a literal or physical sense; to prop up; to bear the
weight of; as, a pillar supports a structure; an abutment supports an
arch; the trunk of a tree supports the branches.
2. To endure without being overcome, exhausted, or changed in
character; to sustain; as, to support pain, distress, or misfortunes.
This fierce demeanor and his insolence The patience of a god could
not support.
Dryden.
3. To keep from failing or sinking; to solace under affictive
circumstances; to assist; to encourage; to defend; as, to support the
courage or spirits.
4. To assume and carry successfully, as the part of an actor; to
represent or act; to sustain; as, to support the character of King
Lear.
5. To furnish with the means of sustenance or livelihood; to maintain;
to provide for; as, to support a family; to support the ministers of
the gospel.
6. To carry on; to enable to continue; to maintain; as, to support a
war or a contest; to support an argument or a debate.
7. To verify; to make good; to substantiate; to establish; to sustain;
as, the testimony is not sufficient to support the charges; the
evidence will not support the statements or allegations.
To urge such arguments, as though they were sufficient to support
and demonstrate a whole scheme of moral philosophy.
J. Edwards.
8. To vindicate; to maintain; to defend successfully; as, to be able to
support one's own cause.
9. To uphold by aid or countenance; to aid; to help; to back up; as, to
support a friend or a party; to support the present administration.
Wherefore, bold pleasant, Darest thou support a published traitor?
Shak.
10. A attend as an honorary assistant; as, a chairman supported by a
vice chairman; O'Connell left the prison, supported by his two sons.
Support arms (Mil.), a command in the manual of arms in responce to
which the piece is held vertically at the shoulder, with the hammer
resting on the left forearm, which is passed horizontally across the
body in front; also, the position assumed in response to this command.
Syn. -- To maintain; endure; verify; substantiate; countenance;
patronize; help; back; second; succor; relieve; uphold; encourage;
favor; nurture; nourish; cherish; shield; defend; protect; stay;
assist; forward.
Sup*port" (?), n. [F.] 1. The act, state, or operation of supporting,
upholding, or sustaining.
2. That which upholds, sustains, or keeps from falling, as a prop, a
pillar, or a foundation of any kind.
3. That which maintains or preserves from being overcome, falling,
yielding, sinking, giving way, or the like; subsistence; maintenance;
assistance; reënforcement; as, he gave his family a good support, the
support of national credit; the assaulting column had the support of a
battery.
Points of support (Arch.), the horizontal area of the solids of a
building, walls, piers, and the like, as compared with the open or
vacant spaces. -- Right of support (Law), an easement or servitude by
which the owner of a house has a right to rest his timber on the walls
of his neighbor's house. Kent.
Syn. -- Stay; prop; maintenance; subsistence; assistance; favor;
countenance; encouragement; patronage; aid; help; succor; nutriment;
sustenance; food.
Sup*port"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. supportable.] Capable of being
supported, maintained, or endured; endurable. -- Sup*port"a*ble*ness,
n. -- Sup*port"a*bly, adv.
Sup*port"ance (?), n. Support. [Obs.] Shak.
Sup`por*ta"tion (?), n. Maintenance; support. [Obs.] Chaucer. Bacon.
Sup*port"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, supports; as, oxygen is
a supporter of life.
The sockets and supporters of flowers are figured.
Bacon.
The saints have a . . . supporter in all their miseries.
South.
2. Especially, an adherent; one who sustains, advocates, and defends;
as, the supporter of a party, faction, or candidate.