sufferance
noun /ˈsʌfrəns/
/ˈsʌfrəns/
Word OriginMiddle English (originally referring to the suffering of something bad or unpleasant): from Anglo-Norman French suffraunce, from late Latin sufferentia, from sufferre, from sub- ‘from below’ + ferre ‘to bear’.
[uncountable]Idioms Idioms
on sufferance
- if you do something on sufferance, somebody allows you to do it although they do not really want you to
- He's only staying here on sufferance.