# suffer

Pronunciation: US say "SUF-ur" /ˈsʌfɚ/; UK say "SUF-uh" /ˈsʌfə/

## Verb

1. To feel pain, whether in the body or the mind.
   - Simple: To feel pain in your body or your mind.
   - _Burn victims often suffer for weeks during recovery._
   - _He suffered intensely in the hours after the surgery._
2. To go through hardship or serious difficulty.
   - Simple: To go through a hard or painful time.
   - _Small businesses suffer during a prolonged recession._
   - _Refugees suffered terribly on the journey across the mountains._
3. To endure or undergo something, especially something painful or unwelcome.
   - Simple: To go through something hard or unpleasant and put up with it.
   - _The army suffered heavy losses in the first day of battle._
   - _Public figures suffer constant criticism for even minor mistakes._
4. To decline in quality, condition, or effectiveness.
   - Simple: To get worse in quality or condition.
   - _Crops suffer noticeably during a long, dry summer._
   - _Team morale suffered in the months after the layoffs._

## Verb

5. To allow or permit a person or an action to proceed. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To allow or let something happen.
   - _The old law suffered no exception in cases of treason._
   - _He would not suffer such insolence within his own house._

## Origin

From Middle English suffren, from Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferre ("to offer, hold up, bear, suffer"), formed from sub- ("up, under") plus ferō ("I carry"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ("to bear, carry"). It displaced the native Old English þrōwian.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/suffer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).