DictionaryRoot: -entia
Latin

-entia

a state or quality

Forms

  • -entia
  • -ence — The ending shortened through French.
  • -ency — An English form used in some nouns.

Origin

Formed in Latin from -ent-, describing someone or something doing an action, plus a noun ending.

Note

A temporary activity can become the name of a lasting quality.

64 / 68
A middle-aged East Asian homeowner reluctantly holds a garden gate open while a neighbor retrieves a ball; pressed lips and resigned raised palm show unwilling toleration rather than welcome.
noun

sufferance

SUF-runs/ˈsʌfrəns/

Permission given without approval.

Etymology

The “under” and “bear” components lead to enduring or putting up with something. Sufferance applies this to permission: allowing something by not forbidding it, rather than willingly approving it.

Full entry

Related word entries