mantener

From Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with the hand”) + teneō (“I hold”).

mantener

1. to maintain; to keep

From Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with the hand”) + teneō (“I hold”).

mantener

1. to maintain, preserve

• manutener

Inherited from Late Latin manūtenēre (“to support”), from Latin manū (“with the hand”) + teneō (“to hold”). Equivalent to mano + tener. Compare Galician and Portuguese manter, French maintenir, Italian mantenere.

• IPA^(key): /manteˈneɾ/ [mãn̪.t̪eˈneɾ]
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: man‧te‧ner

mantener (first-person singular present mantengo, first-person singular preterite mantuve, past participle mantenido)

1. (transitive) to keep

   Mantenga la tapa cerrada, por favor.

   Keep the lid closed, please.

2. (transitive) to maintain, to support

   Yo mantengo a mis hijos.

   I support my children.

3. (transitive) to sustain, to preserve, to retain, to uphold
4. (transitive) to maintain, continue, to keep up

   Mantengan el buen trabajo.

   Keep up the good work.

5. (transitive) to stay, to remain
6. (reflexive) to maintain, to keep, to stay, to remain

   Me voy a mantener despierto toda la noche estudiando la gramática española.

   I'm going to stay [lit. keep myself] awake all night studying Spanish grammar.

7. (reflexive) to stand, to hold, to remain, to continue (e.g. hold firm, stand strong, stand together, stand on one's feet)

   Debemos mantenernos firmes exigiendo libertad.

   We must stand firm in demanding freedom.

8. (reflexive) to stick to (e.g. stick to one's guns)
9. (reflexive) to be maintained, to be retained, to be sustained

• “mantener”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024