suffer

Etymology

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

verb

1. (intransitive) To undergo hardship.
   Many artists suffer before becoming famous.
2. (intransitive) To feel pain.
   At least he didn't suffer when he died in the car crash.
3. (intransitive) To become worse.
   If you keep partying like this, your school-work will suffer.
   Our correspondent found that timekeeping had suffered following the substitution of Class 5 4-6-0s on these workings. 1961 October, “Motive Power Miscellany: Scottish Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 638
4. (transitive) To endure, undergo.
   I've been suffering your insults for years.
   We hope you never have to suffer the same pain.
   Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return. 2013-07-06, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68
5. (transitive, archaic, law) To allow.
   "Employ" includes to suffer or permit to work. 1938, The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 203
   […] it shall be unlawful for any person to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle to be parked […] beyond the period of time established by the duration of the parking meter […] 1978, Section 31-36 of the Code of Montgomery County, Maryland