self-support

noun

The capacity of independent support; self-sufficiency.

OriginEnglish support ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounself-support (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe capacity of independent support; self-sufficiency.
  2. uncountableThe act or means of supporting oneself financially; livelihood

    The self-sale of a destitute person for self-support or support of family.

    2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 1079

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Englishsupport
  9. Englishself-support

From self- + support.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

self-support. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-support

MLA

“self-support.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-support. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-support,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-support.

Source: self-support on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.