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sufferentia

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word sufferentia

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 160–220 AD, Tertullian
Ultimate origin
Latin sufferō

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [sʊf.fɛˈrɛn.ti.a][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [suf.feˈrɛn.t͡si.a][1]

Forms

sufferentia f (genitive sufferentiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin sufferēns + -ia, from the present participle of sufferō (“to bear, endure”).[1][2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Tertullian, in the sense of bearing or enduring, sufferance.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

A Late Latin word,[2][4] it was used by Christian writers for patience and endurance, as in the Vulgate's “sufferentiam Iob audistis” (“you have heard of the patience of Job”, James 5:11).[2][4][5]

Medieval Latin added the senses of tolerance or allowance, of consent, and of a reprieve or truce.[6][7] In British sources it also meant the ability to carry a weight and the undergoing of hardship, senses the DMLBS ascribes to the influence of Old French suffrance.[4] English took over sufferance about 1300, from Old French and directly from the Latin.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it for bearing or enduring.[2][3]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it for the patience of Job.[2][4][3]
  • 1136 – A charter uses it for consent or will.[7]
  • 1295 – A letter of King Edward I of England uses it for a delay or truce.[7]
  • c. 1300 – English borrows it as sufferance, partly through Old French.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Late Latin) A bearing, endurance, toleration.[2][1]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Patience, resignation.[5][6][7]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Tolerance, allowance.[6][4]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Will, consent.[7][1]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A reprieve, delay; a truce.[6][7]
  6. (Medieval Latin) The ability to bear a weight; the undergoing of hardship.[4]
  • English sufferance

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e f du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Sufferentia.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/sufferentia. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·