All 3 Uses

subsist
in
Frankenstein - 1831 version
(Auto-generated)

Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsisted in our characters drew us nearer together.†
p. 38.1 *

subsisted = survived
I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs.†
p. 123.3

subsist = survive
In other places human beings were seldom seen, and I generally subsisted on the wild animals that crossed my path.†
p. 207.8

subsisted = survived

Definitions:

(1) (subsist)
to survive or exist -- especially without being able to manage comforts or luxuries
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)