Support

As a verb, furnishing funds or means for maintenance; to maintain; to provide for; to enable to continue; to carry on. To provide a means of livelihood. To vindicate, to maintain, to defend, to uphold with aid or countenance.

As a noun, that which furnishes a livelihood; a source or means of living; subsistence, sustenance, maintenance, or living.

Support includes all sources of living that enable a person to live in a degree of comfort suitable and befitting her station in life. Support encompasses housing, food, clothing, health, nursing, and medical needs, along with adequate recreation expenses. Most states impose a legal duty on an individual to support his or her spouse and children.