Endurance
/ɪnˈdjʊə.rəns/noun
The ability to continue doing something difficult or withstand hardship over time.
Did you know?Endurance comes from Latin *indurare*, “to harden,” built from *in-* (“into”) + *durus* (“hard”), so the word originally described something becoming literally hardened, not just emotionally resilient.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deru-
“solid, firm, hard”
Latin
Latin
durus
“hard, firm, harsh”
Latin
Latin
indurare
“to harden, make hard”
Old French
OF
endurer
“to bear, undergo, suffer”
Middle English
English
enduren
“to last, continue, suffer patiently”
Modern English
English
endurance
“the power of enduring hardship or strain over time”