▪ I. suffering, vbl. n.
(ˈsʌfərɪŋ)
[f. suffer v. + -ing1.]
† 1. Patient endurance; long-suffering. Obs.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxvi. 20 Suffire þat þou suffirs for god and of god, for wa is þaim þat losis suffrynge. 1382 Wyclif James v. 11 Ȝe herden the suffring [gloss, or pacience] of Job. |
2. The bearing or undergoing of pain, distress, or tribulation. In early use const. of the thing suffered.
| c 1340 Hampole Prose Treat. 5, I ȝode by sufferynge of werynes and I fand Ihesu wery in þe way. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 304 Wilful sofforyng of deþ. 14.. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 277 In suffryng Of trokys [? crokys] & naylis clynkyng. 1534 Tindale Heb. ii. 9 Jesus which is crouned with glory and honour for the sofferinge of death. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. liii. §1 Both working of wonders and suffering of paines. 1607 Shakes. Cor. v. ii. 71 I'th state of hanging, or of some death more long in Spectatorship, and crueller in suffering. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 375, I..to the evil turne My obvious breast, arming to overcom By suffering. a 1716 South Serm. (1823) IV. 401 The Christian religion..[is] a religion teaching suffering, enjoining suffering, and rewarding suffering. a 1845 S. Smith Wks. (1859) I. 142 Suffering is not a merit, but only useful suffering. 1873 Mozley Univ. Serm. viii. (1876) 192 The generous suffering of one person for another. |
| attrib. 1662 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. iii. v. ii. §1 Even he comes forth to meet thee,..willing to impart some of his Suffering-skill unto thee. |
† b. The action of suffering death; execution; martyrdom. Obs.
| 1651 G. Fox in Jrnl. (1911) I. 14 Two men sufferd for small thinges: & I was moved..to Incourage y{supm} concerneinge there suffringe. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 12 Nov. 1644, The suffering of St. Laurence painted a fresca on the wall. |
c. The incurring of loss. rare.
| 1805 Collingwood Let. in Daily Chron. (1905) 10 July 3/4 This Great day has not been without a considerable suffering on our part in loss of Officers and Men. |
3. A painful condition; pain suffered.
| c 1392 Chaucer Compl. Venus 45 Thus be we euyr in drede and suffrynge. a 1771 Gray Dante 66 Far less shall be Our Suffering, Sir. 1818 Byron Ch. Har. iv. xxii, All suffering doth destroy, or is destroy'd, Even by the sufferer. 1829 Lytton Devereux iv. i, I rose from the bed of suffering and of madness,..altered, but tranquil. 1890 Science Gossip XXVI. 53/2 It is just those energetic, matter-of-fact people, who..are the most likely to interfere and to aggravate suffering. |
b. In particularized use, chiefly pl.
| 1609 Daniel Civ. Wars iv. lxxv, Future ill On present suffrings, bruted to aryse. 1611 Bible Rom. viii. 18 The sufferings of this present time. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 26 Of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue. 1736 Butler Anal. i. ii. Wks. 1874 I. 35 We cannot find by experience, that all our sufferings are owing to our own follies. 1764 Burn Poor Laws 197 The sufferings indeed of the poor are less known, than their misdeeds. 1780 Bentham Princ. Legisl. xiv. §1 This is a suffering common to all. 1862 M. Napier Mem. Claverhouse II. 84 All were expected, under the Orange Revolution, to contribute a suffering, however small, to this grand Commination of the governments of the Restoration. 1877 Mrs. Forrester Mignon I. 221 She is callous to his sufferings. |
c. In the Society of Friends, the hardships of those who were distrained upon for tithes, etc. Meeting for Sufferings: an organization for investigating and relieving these: see also quot. 1906.
| 1657 G. Fox Epistles No. 141 All Friends everywhere, that are in any sufferings, let your sufferings be gathered up together in every County. 1661 F. Howgill in Extr. St. Papers rel. Friends Ser. ii. (1911) 129 Wee haue made it our work to collect vp all the sufferings from all partes & to make what vse wee cann of them. 1683 S. Meade in Jrnl. Friends' Hist. Soc. (1914) Oct. 165 An exact Acc{supt} of all you{supr} sufferings..sent up hithe{supr} to the meettinge of sufferrings, in orde{supr} to bee putt to the rest of ffriends sufferrings, y{supt} are presented to y⊇ Kinge. 1708 Chamberlayne M. Brit. Notitia i. iii. i. 200 Their Meetings..are..Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly, Second-Days Meetings, and Meeting of Sufferings. 1837 W. Allen Jrnl. in Life (1847) III. 265 Fifty Friends of the Meeting for Sufferings met. 1906 Christ. Discipl. Soc. Friends II. xi. 59 The Meeting for Sufferings (so called from the nature of its original object) is a standing representative committee of the Yearly Meeting, and is entrusted with a general care of whatever may arise during the intervals of the Yearly Meeting affecting the Society. |
† 4. a. Permission. b. Tolerance. Obs.
| c 1460 Oseney Reg. 135 Frere William Sutton By þe suffryng of god Abbot of Oseneye. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxciii. 677 Ye haue had a fayre sufferyng. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 315 About the sufferring of ane day of law anens the clairk of Sanctandros. 1637 Decr. Star Chamber in Milton's Areop. (Arb.) 15 He..shall first giue notice..of such demise, or suffering to worke or print there. |
† 5. Passive reception of action. Obs.
| 1548 Vicary Anat. ix. 79 Lyke as the Renet of the Cheese hath by him selfe the way or vertue of working, so hath the mylke by way of suffering. 1587 Golding De Mornay xiv. 241 What els is corrupting, but suffering? And what els is suffering, but receyuing? |
▪ II. ˈsuffering, ppl. a.
[f. suffer v. + -ing2.]
† 1. That endures patiently, long-suffering; inured to suffering; submissive. Obs.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter vii. 12 God rightwis iuge, stalworth and soffrand. c 1400 tr. Secr. Secr., Gov. Lordsh. 108 Þat þou ert..lastyng, wys, and sufferand. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xx. 244 He is curteis and mylde and the moost sufferynge man that euer I mette with al. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. ii. i. 130 Such suffering Soules That welcome wrongs. 1605 B. Jonson Sejanus iv, Whome hee (vpon our low, and suffering neckes) Hath rays'd, from excrement, to side the Gods. 1679 W. Penn in Wks. I. Penington (1784) I. p. x, By nature he was suffering to a degree of letting his mercy to others almost wound his own soul. 1694 J. Kettlewell Comp. for Persecuted Wks. 1718 II. 295 O Almighty..God!..in these Suffering Times, give me a Suffering Spirit. |
† 2. Passive. Obs.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vi. xii. (Bodl. MS.) In þe male beþ vertues formale and schaping..and in þe female materialle suffring and passiue. 1792 Cowper Let. to Mrs. King 26 Jan., The infallible Judge of human conduct may possibly behold with more complacency a suffering than an active courage. |
3. a. Of persons, their character, condition, etc.: That suffers, or is characterized by the suffering of, pain, affliction, or distress.
| 1597 Shakes. Lover's Compl. 178 Gentle maid Haue of my suffering youth some feeling pitty. a 1643 Ld. Falkland, etc. Infallibility (1646) 102 It is well knowne that..where both religions are professed..none be on the suffering hand but we, none persecutes but they. 1659 Gentl. Calling Pref. §3 The Martyrologie even of these suffering times. 1687 Dryden Hind & P. iii. 138 You have your day, or you are much bely'd, But I am always on the suff'ring side. 1705 Stanhope Paraphr. I. 11 We can feed and cloath hungry and naked Christ in his suffering Members. a 1716 South Serm. (1823) IV. 401 The Christian religion..is a suffering religion. 1790 Burke Rev. France 123 Deserters from principle,..they never see any good in suffering virtue. 1814 Jane Austen Mansf. Park I. xviii. 357 Such nature and feeling in it as must..make it a very suffering exhibition to herself. 1820 Shelley Prometh. Unb. i. 630 Many..live among their suffering fellow-men As if none felt. 1828 Lytton Pelham II. xiii, Mr. Chitterling Crabtree..subscribed to the aid of the suffering friends of freedom. 1885 Athenæum 18 July 79/3 Her verse is characterized by..keen sympathy with suffering man and woman. |
b. In Puritan use, with reference to hardships endured for the sake of religion, esp. in suffering saint.
| 1661 J. Perrot (title) To the Suffering Seed of Royalty, Wheresoever Tribulated upon the Face of the whole Earth. 1664 Butler Hud. ii. ii. 406 That Sinners may supply the place Of suff'ring Saints is a plain Case. 1667 Epil. Dryden's Secret Love, A whipt Fanatick who does not recant Is by his Brethren call'd a suffring Saint. [1682 Claverhouse Let. to Queensberry 1 Mar., I would desire leave to draw out of the two regiments a hundred of the best musketeers had served abroad; and I should take horses here, amongst the suffering sinners.] 1896 Mrs. Caffyn Quaker Grandmother 317 Harry was as yet scarcely in fit condition for any suffering-saint phase to be foisted upon him. |
c. [After F. souffrant.] Ill, indisposed. rare.
| 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate iii, My poor friend is very suffering and anxious to press on to Mentone. |
d. suffering cat(s)! an exclamation expressing surprise or annoyance. Also the suffering Moses (cf. Moses 1 c), etc.
| 1869 ‘Mark Twain’ Innocents Abroad v. 52 The suffering Moses!—there ain't money enough in the ship to pay that bill! 1897 Kipling Capt. Cour. vi. 134 ‘Sufferin' Christianity!’ sez Counahan (he always said that whin..he was not feelin' good). 1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights xv. 217 Suffering cats, think how that fellow sized us up for a lot of pattern-made fools. 1931 S. Lewis Sel. Short Stories (1935) 162 Suffering cats! You might have been one of your uncles still puttering around with dirty pitchforks back on the farm! 1948 G. H. Johnston Death takes Small Bites v. 122 She doesn't think I've got any guts.’ ‘Well, sufferin' cat! What does she want? Alexander the Great?’ 1977 J. Porter Who the Heck is Sylvia? vi. 54 Oh, suffering cats, with that bunch of lecherous thugs it could have been anybody! |
† 4. transf. Becoming impaired by use. Obs.
| 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster i. i. 77 The suffering ploughshare, or the flint may weare. |
5. Comb., as suffering-minded adj.
| 1598 Chapman Iliad v. 276 Most suffering-minded Tydeus sonne. |
▪ III. suffering
obs. or illiterate f. sovereign n.