[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. Shaks., 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. 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 ym 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, Lett., 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. A. J. H. Crespi, in Hardwicke’s Sci.-Gossip, XXVI. 53/2. It is just those energetic, matter-of-fact people, who feel that something ought to be done, but do not know what, who are the most likely to interfere and to aggravate suffering and cause incurable mischief.
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. Sarah Meade, in Jrnl. Friends’ Hist. Soc. (1914), Oct., 165. An exact Acct of all your sufferings … sent up hither to the meettinge of sufferrings, in order to bee putt to the rest of ffriends sufferrings, yt are presented to ye 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?
