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Added 9 October 2026

suffer

/ˈsʌfə/ verb

In Latin: patior Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about suffer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Undergo or be subjected to.
He suffered the penalty
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses).
She suffered a fracture in the accident
Experience (emotional) pain.
Every time her husband gets drunk, she suffers

Origin

From Middle English suffren, from Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferre (“to offer, hold up, bear, suffer”), from sub- (“up, under”) + ferō (“to carry”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”). Displaced native Old English þrōwian.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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