Sustaining

Verb

1. Present participle of sustain
• 1907, w, The Dust of Conflict Chapter 20, Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one, while in the case of monk and crusader there must have been a sustaining purpose, and possibly a great abnegation, a leaving of lands and possessions.”