subsistence

n 1: minimal (or marginal) resources for subsisting; "social

security provided only a bare subsistence"

2: a means of surviving; "farming is a hard means of

subsistence"

3: the state of existing in reality; having substance

persistence

1. A property of a programming language where

created objects and variables continue to exist and retain

their values between runs of the program.

2. The length of time a phosphor dot on the screen

of a {cathode ray tube} will remain illuminated after it has

been energised by the electron beam. Long-persistence

phosphors reduce flicker, but generate ghost-like images that

linger on screen for a fraction of a second.

(1994-11-09)