support
     n 1: the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying
          with money or necessities; "his support kept the family
          together"; "they gave him emotional support during
          difficult times"
     2: aiding the cause or policy or interests of; "the president
        no longer had the support of his own party"; "they
        developed a scheme of mutual support"
     3: something providing immaterial support or assistance to a
        person or cause or interest; "the policy found little
        public support"; "his faith was all the support he
        needed"; "the team enjoyed the support of their fans"
     4: a military operation (often involving new supplies of men
        and materiel) to strengthen a military force or aid in the
        performance of its mission; "they called for artillery
        support" [syn: {reinforcement}, {reenforcement}]
     5: documentary validation; "his documentation of the results
        was excellent"; "the strongest support for this this view
        is the work of Jones" [syn: {documentation}]
     6: the financial means whereby one lives; "each child was
        expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state
        for support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood"
        [syn: {keep}, {livelihood}, {living}, {bread and butter},
        {sustenance}]
     7: supporting structure that holds up or provides a foundation;
        "the statue stood on a marble support"
     8: the act of bearing the weight of or strengthening; "he
        leaned against the wall for support" [syn: {supporting}]
     9: a subordinate musical part; provides background for more
        important parts [syn: {accompaniment}, {musical
        accompaniment}, {backup}]
     10: any device that bears the weight of another thing; "there
         was no place to attach supports for a shelf"
     11: financial resources provided to make some project possible;
         "the foundation provided support for the experiment"
         [syn: {financial support}, {funding}, {backing}, {financial
         backing}]
     v 1: give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to;
          "She supported him during the illness"; "Her children
          always backed her up" [syn: {back up}]
     2: support materially or financially; "he does not support his
        natural children"; "The scholarship supported me when I
        was in college"
     3: be behind; approve of; "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I
        backed Kennedy in 1960" [syn: {back}, {endorse}, {indorse},
         {plump for}, {plunk for}]
     4: be the physical support of; carry the weight of; "The beam
        holds up the roof"; "He supported me with one hand while I
        balanced on the beam"; "What's holding that mirror?" [syn:
         {hold}, {sustain}, {hold up}]
     5: establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; "his
        story confirmed my doubts"; "The evidence supports the
        defendant" [syn: {confirm}, {corroborate}, {sustain}, {substantiate},
         {affirm}] [ant: {negate}]
     6: adopt as a belief; "I subscribe to your view on abortion"
        [syn: {subscribe}]
     7: support with evidence or authority or make more certain or
        confirm; "The stories and claims were born out by the
        evidence" [syn: {corroborate}, {underpin}, {bear out}]
     8: argue or speak in defense of; "She supported the motion to
        strike" [syn: {defend}, {fend for}]
     9: play a subordinate role to (another performer); "Olivier
        supported Gielgud beautifully in the second act"
     10: be a regular customer or client of; "We patronize this
         store"; "Our sponsor kept our art studio going for as
         long as he could" [syn: {patronize}, {patronise}, {patronage},
          {keep going}]
     11: put up with something or somebody unpleasant; "I cannot bear
         his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure
         a lot of unprofessional remarks"; "he learned to tolerate
         the heat"; "She stuck out two years in a miserable
         marriage" [syn: {digest}, {endure}, {stick out}, {stomach},
          {bear}, {stand}, {tolerate}, {brook}, {abide}, {suffer},
          {put up}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0

support n. After-sale handholding; something many software vendors
   promise but few deliver. To hackers, most support people are useless --
   because by the time a hacker calls support he or she will usually know
   the software and the relevant manuals better than the support people
   (sadly, this is _not_ a joke or exaggeration). A hacker's idea of
   `support' is a te^te-a`-te^te with the software's designer.


Source: The Jargon File