sufferance
[ suhf-er-uh ns, suhf-ruh ns ]
/ ˈsʌf ər əns, ˈsʌf rəns /
noun
passive permission resulting from lack of interference; tolerance, especially of something wrong or illegal (usually preceded by on or by).
capacity to endure pain, hardship, etc.; endurance.
Archaic. suffering; misery.
Archaic. patient endurance.
Nearby words
Origin of sufferance
Related formsnon·suf·fer·ance, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for on sufferance
sufferance
/ (ˈsʌfərəns, ˈsʌfrəns) /
noun
tolerance arising from failure to prohibit; tacit permission
capacity to endure pain, injury, etc
the state or condition of suffering
archaic patient endurance
on sufferance with reluctance
Word Origin for sufferance
C13: via Old French from Late Latin sufferentia endurance, from Latin sufferre to suffer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for on sufferance
sufferance
c.1300, "enduring of hardship, affliction, etc.," also "allowance of wrongdoing," from Old French suffrance, from Late Latin sufferentia, from sufferre (see suffer).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with on sufferance
on sufferance
Barely tolerated; agreed to but unwillingly. For example, They rarely put a non-academic on the panel, so obviously I was there on sufferance. This expression uses sufferance in the sense of “toleration,” a usage obsolete except in this idiom. [Mid-1500s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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