soutenance

== French == === Etymology === From soutenir +‎ -ance, cf. the present participle soutenant. Present in Old French as sustenance. Cf. also Late and Medieval Latin sustinentia (“support; endurance”). === Pronunciation === Rhymes: -ɑ̃s === Noun === soutenance f (plural soutenances) viva voce (for a doctorate) === Further reading === “soutenance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012