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.

QUIZZES

PRACTICE SOME ESCAPISM WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

We salute you if you remember all the doovers from Word of the Day between May 25 and May 31!
Question 1 of 7
salute
to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc.
to wield power; exercise rule.
to express respect or praise for; honor; commend.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sufferance

1250–1300; Middle English suffrance < Old French soufrance, < Late Latin sufferentia, equivalent to suffer(re) to suffer + -entia -ence, -ance

OTHER WORDS FROM sufferance

non·suf·fer·ance, noun

Words nearby sufferance

sufentanil citrate, suff., suffer, suffer fools gladly, sufferable, sufferance, suffering, suffern, suffice, suffice it to say, sufficiency
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.