Past tense of suffer, meaning to experience pain, distress, or hardship, or to undergo something unpleasant. Can also mean to tolerate or allow something to happen.
From Old French 'sofrir', from Latin 'sufferre' meaning 'to bear, undergo', composed of 'sub-' (under) + 'ferre' (to bear). The meaning evolved from simply 'bearing' something to specifically enduring pain or hardship.
The word 'suffer' originally had no negative connotations - it simply meant 'to allow' or 'to bear', as in 'suffer the little children to come unto me.' The shift to emphasizing pain and hardship reflects humanity's focus on the more challenging aspects of endurance, though the neutral meaning survives in legal phrases like 'suffer no penalty.'
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