Etymology : Middle English suffren, from Old French souffrir, from Vulgar Latin sufferire, from Latin sufferre, from sub- up + ferre to bear; more at SUB-, BEAR
Pronunciation : 's&-f&r
Function : verb
Date : 13th century
1. state in which one endures some difficulty or misfortune, distress, hardship, pain, agony. suffering\suf"fer*ing\, n. the bearing of pain, inconvenience, or loss; pain endured; distress, loss, or injury incurred; as, sufferings by pain or sorrow; sufferings by want or by wrongs. "souls in sufferings tried."suffering \suf"fer*ing\, a. being in pain or grief; having loss, injury, distress, etc. -- suf"fer*ing*ly , adv.suffering adj.
2. troubled by pain or loss; "suffering refugees".
3. very unhappy; full of misery; "he felt depressed and miserable"; "a message of hope for suffering humanity"; "wretched prisoners huddled in stinking cages" [syn: miserable, wretched] n 1: a state of acute pain [syn: agony] 2: misery resulting from affliction [syn: woe].
4. psychological suffering; "the death of his wife caused him great distress" [syn: distress, hurt].
5. feelings of mental or physical pain [syn: hurt].
6. The bearing of pain, inconvenience, or loss; pain endured; distress, loss, or injury incurred; as, sufferings by pain or sorrow; sufferings by want or by wrongs.
7. Being in pain or grief; having loss, injury, distress, etc. feelings of mental or physical pain misery resulting from affliction troubled by pain or loss; "suffering refugees".
8. To feel, or endure, with pain, annoyance, etc.; to submit to with distress or grief; to undergo; as, to suffer pain of body, or grief of mind.
9. To endure or undergo without sinking; to support; to sustain; to bear up under.
10. To undergo; to be affected by; to sustain; to experience; as, most substances suffer a change when long exposed to air and moisture; to suffer loss or damage.
11. To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder; to tolerate.
12. To feel or undergo pain of body or mind; to bear what is inconvenient; as, we suffer from pain, sickness, or sorrow; we suffer with anxiety.
13. To undergo punishment; specifically, to undergo the penalty of death.
14. To be injured; to sustain loss or damage. feel pain or be in pain undergo ; "She suffered a fracture in the accident"; "He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars"; "She got a bruise on her leg"; "He got his arm broken in the scuffle" feel unwell or uncomfortable; "She is suffering from the hot weather" get worse; "His grades suffered" be set at a disadvantage; "This author really suffers in translation" endure ; "Every time her husband gets drunk, she suffers" undergo or be subjected to; "He suffered the penalty"; "Many saints suffered martyrdom" undergo or suffer; "meet a violent death"; "suffer a terrible fate" be given to; "She suffers from a tendency to talk too much".
15. Suffering is serious pain which someone feels in their body or their mind. It has caused terrible suffering to animals His many novels have portrayed the sufferings of his race. see also:
long-suffering = torment. serious physical or mental pain.