maintenance (noun) /ˈmeɪnt(ə)nəns/, /ˈmeɪntɪnəns/, [ˈmẽɪ̃(n)ʔ(ə)nəns]
1
Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.
2
(law) A tort and (in some jurisdictions) an offence committed when a third party who does not have a bona fide interest in a lawsuit provides help or acquires an interest to a litigant's lawsuit.
3
(law, UK) Alimony, a periodical payment or a lump sum made or ordered to be made to a spouse after a divorce.
4
(law) Child support.
5
Money required or spent to provide for the needs of a person or a family.
6
(biology) The natural process which keeps an organism alive.