Sufferance
/ˈsʌf.ər.əns/noun
Patient endurance or tolerance of something unpleasant; permission given by silence or neglect.
Did you know?In Middle English and legal English, *sufferance* could mean passive permission—something is allowed because it is tolerated, not because it is welcomed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰer-
“to bear, carry”
Latin
Latin
sufferre
“to bear, endure, undergo; literally “to carry from below””
Late Latin
Latin
sufferentia
“endurance, forbearance”
Old French
Old French
souffrance
“suffering; permission by toleration”
Middle English
English
suffraunce
“endurance; passive consent, permission”
Modern English
English
sufferance
“patient endurance; tolerance or passive permission”