Word of the Day - sustain

sustain

verb
sus·tain sə-ˈstān
sustained; sustaining; sustains
transitive verb
1 to give support or relief to
2 to supply with sustenance : nourish
3 keep up, prolong
4 to support the weight of : prop
also : to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)
5 to buoy up
6a to bear up under
6b suffer, undergo
7a to support as true, legal, or just
7b to allow or admit as valid
8 to support by adequate proof : confirm
noun
a musical effect that prolongs a note's resonance

-==0==-

By holding a note until they turn blue
Is something songsters will often do
Accolades they hope they will gain
By their prodigious use of sustain.

Music image: on a music notation staff, four notes descending in pitch, the first three are half notes. The fourth is a whole note, but above it is a "fermata" mark which indicates holding the last note longer than usual (at the discretion of the performer).

Illustrates the concept of a "sustain".