a. Obs. exc. arch. Forms: 4 suffrabil, suffreable, 4–6 suffrable, 5 souffrable, suffyrabyl, sufferabylle, suffurable, 6 sufferabil, Sc. suffrabile, 4– sufferable. Also SUBFERABYLLE. [a. OF. suffrable = It. sofferevole, ad. med.L. sufferābilis, f. sufferre to SUFFER. Subsequently modified in form by assimilation to SUFFER v.
A L. type *sufferibilis is represented by It. soffribile, Sp. sufrible, Pg. sof(f)rivel.]
† 1. Patient, long-suffering. Also const. of: Willing to submit to. Obs.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 8641. Þey ogh to be suffrable and meke, And no foly on ouþer men seke.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s Prol., 442. Oon of vs two moste bowen doutelees, And sith a man is moore resonable Than womman is, ye moste been suffrable.
c. 1412. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 2934. Of swich writyng be of right suffrable. Ibid., 4423. Thogh he to venge hym tarie, & be suffrable.
1568. E. Tilney, Flower Friendsh., C ij b. Sufferable in the importunities of his wyfe.
1577. Stanyhurst, Descr. Irel., viii. in Holinshed, 28/1. The [Irish] people are thus enclined, religious, franke, amorous, irefull, sufferable of infinite paynes, very glorious.
1611. Speed, Theat. Gt. Brit. (1614), 132/2. They rather live rudely … and with a sufferable ease, ignorant of ambition, enjoy those contentments.
† b. Capable of endurance. Obs.
1481. Caxton, Godfrey, cxlix. 221. He toke with hym a lytil companye of them that were moost suffrable.
2. That can be ‘suffered’ or put up with; bearable, tolerable, endurable. Also, tolerably good.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, cvi. 29. Þe persecuciouns he tempird and made þaim suffrabil.
1382. Wyclif, Matt. x. 15. It shall be more suffreable to the lond of men of Sodom and Gomor in the day of iugement, than to that citee.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, 345. It was mor suffrable vnto hur, þe sorow of dead, þan was þe mirthe of life.
1493. [H. Parker], Dives & Pauper (W. de W.), VII. v. 281/1. The lordshyp of this worlde is sufferable & worshypfull.
1574. Newton, Health Mag., 35. Let us touche suche sortes of fyshes as are best and most sufferable.
1578. Timme, Calvin on Gen., 94. The more sufferable … that the Commandment of God was the less tolerable was their Crookedness in refusing to obey.
1654. Gataker, Disc. Apol., 84. Manie Anabaptists … are more justifiable before God, and more sufferable with man, then Presbyterians and strict Calvinists.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 92. Insolent to a degree beyond what was sufferable.
1814. Earl Dudley, Lett., 9 Aug. (1840), 58. There must be some great defect in his mind, or he would try to make himself a little more sufferable.
a. 1843. Southey, Common-pl. Bk. (1849), Ser. II. 248. His funereal elegies are … not quite worthless; that to Antonio Ferreira on his wife’s death is sufferable.
1852. Thackeray, Esmond, II. i. During the time, the suffering is at least sufferable.
1872. Howells, Wedd. Journ. (1892), 69. It was something … that made the air so much more sufferable than it had been.
† 3. That may be allowed, permissible. Obs.
a. 1395. Hylton, Scala Perf. (W. de W., 1494), II. xxxii. This maner syghte is sufferable to symple soules that can noo better.
1480. Cov. Leet Bk., 472. That comen-wele is nott sufferable by the kynges lawes.
a. 1571. Jewel, On 1 Thess. (1611), 84. And how is that sufferable by any Law, that by so many Lawes is condemned?
1598. Manwood, Lawes Forest, i. (1615), 20. It is not … sufferable for any other person, to hunt or hauke after any of those wilde beastes.
1653. A. Wilson, Jas. I., 20. For the Clericks … they are no way sufferable to remain in this Kingdom.
† 4. a. Capable of suffering, passible. Obs.
c. 1400. Love, Bonavent. Mirr., vii. 52. For withouten dowte he hadde verray flesche and kyndely sufferable as haue othere children.
c. 1430. Life St. Kath. (Roxb. Club), 36. Or þe experience of his suffrable nature he scheude to vs þat he was bothe verray god & man.
† b. Attended with suffering. Obs.
1548. Geste, Agst. Priv. Masse, D j b. Christes sufferable and bloudy sacrifice.
† c. That may suffer injury or loss. Obs.
1651. Baxter, Inf. Bapt., 312. In the conferring of this (he saith) baptismall Regeneration is defined. But yet this is sufferable and loseable.
† 5. Logic. Producing an effect on the senses.
Cf. Burgersdicius’ Logic, I. vi. (1697), 17. Patible Quality, in Greek ποιότης παθητική.
1654. Z. Coke, Logick, 32. Quality hath four kinds or specials. 1. Habit. 2. Natural power. 3. Sufferable quality. 4. Figure.
