From this answer, I learned from Collins that consist is a synonym for subsist.
[D3.] subsist – (followed by in) to lie or reside by virtue (of); consist
1. What are the similarities and differences, between consist and subsist?
2. Can consist interchange with subsist? Eg: p 13, How the Law Works, by Gary Slapper:
In
what does the merit of legal science – or the ‘art of Law’ as it was referred to by Sir Edward Coke – subsist? It subsistsin
the accumulated experience and expertise that enable its professionals to do many important things.
3. If I try to change subsist to consist, what happens to the trailing in (coloured in grey)?
In other words, does the Collins definition imply
4. subsist
in
= consist or
5. subsistin
= consistin
(ie: the prepositionin
is added to both sides) ?
Best Answer
Subsist derives from Latin literally meaning to stand still or to remain. Sub means "under", and sistere means "to stand" or "to place"; imagine placing a piece of paper under a weight so that it does not leave.
Subsist is generally used to indicate survival on a minimum of resources, but can also be used to indicate something continues (retaining a certain state) or even just exists. In your example, subsist seems to be used to indicate persistence. The "art of law" continues, or survives in the accumulated experience and expertise.
Note that subsist does not require a complement. You can simply say "The art of law subsists." In your example, the complement "in" was added to indicate where the art of law persists.
In contrast, consist derives from Latin literally meaning to stand together. Con- derives from the Latin cum, meaning "with" or "together," and again sistere means "to stand."
Consist is used to indicate either what a subject is composed of, or what it is comprised in.
In its modern usage, consist always requires a complement indicating either what the subject is composed of, or what the subject is included within.
Consist also has an older definition allowing it to indicate that something simply exists, but this is an obsolete use of the word.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913):
See also Dictionary.com: