Tolerance
/ˈtɒl.ər.əns/noun
The willingness to allow, accept, or endure beliefs, practices, or conditions one may disagree with or find difficult.
Did you know?Tolerance comes from Latin *tolerantia*, from *tolerare* meaning “to bear, endure, or put up with,” and that same root family also gave English words tied to carrying and supporting heavy loads.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*(s)tel- / *tel-
“to bear, carry, or support”
Classical Latin
Latin
tolerāre
“to endure, bear, or support”
Latin
Latin
tolerantia
“endurance, forbearance”
Late Latin
Latin
tolerantia
“patient endurance; permission to allow”
Middle French
Old French
tolérance
“endurance, forbearance”
Modern English
English
tolerance
“the practice or quality of allowing differences or enduring hardship”