suffer
Definitions
To experience pain, hardship, or distress.
遭受；忍受（痛苦、苦难）
To be subjected to or affected by an illness or unpleasant condition.
患（病）；受……之苦
To get worse as a result of something.
（因……而）变糟；受损
(Archaic / formal) to allow or tolerate.
（古/正式）允许；容许
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedsuf- (a form of sub-, «under, from below») + fer (carry) = 'to carry from below,' i.e. to bear a burden. The image is someone bent under a heavy load. Originally meant any kind of bearing or enduring; modern English narrowed it to the painful sense («endure pain») while keeping an archaic «allow» meaning in literary contexts.
Root fer still carries 93 more wordsWhy It Means This
Suffer is one of the most emotionally loaded fer-family words. Latin sub- + ferre literally meant «to carry from below» — to bear a weight on one's shoulders. In medieval English the verb was broad: you could «suffer» (allow) something to happen or «suffer» (endure) pain. The KJV Bible's «suffer the little children to come unto me» means «allow them.» Today this older sense survives mainly in fixed expressions; the painful-enduring sense dominates. The image of bearing a weight unifies both: whether you suffer (endure) hardship or suffer (allow) an event, you are bearing it.
Usage Guide
- Endure pain/hardship: 'suffer in silence,' 'suffer for one's art' — physical or emotional
- Have an illness: 'suffer from asthma,' 'suffer a stroke' — affected by a condition
- Decline due to: 'sales suffered from the recession' — be worsened by
- Allow (archaic/biblical): 'suffer the children to come unto me' — permit (rare today)
- Stress: SUF-fer (always, no shift)
Example Sentences
- 1.
Many people suffer from chronic back pain.
- 2.
She suffered greatly during the war.
- 3.
Their friendship suffered after the argument.
- 4.
Suffer the little children to come unto me.
Easily Confused
suffer vs endure — Both involve bearing hardship, but «endure» implies active persistence and survival («endure great hardship»), while «suffer» foregrounds the pain itself («suffer terribly»). Endure is more heroic; suffer is more raw. You endure to survive; you suffer because you must.