Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tolerance” come from?

Tolerance comes from Middle French tolerance, derived from Latin tolerantia, the noun form of tolerans, the present participle of tolero, meaning "to bear or endure," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European telh₂-.

tolerance (English): The ability to endure pain or hardship;...

Definitions

  1. The ability to endure pain or hardship;...

Ancestry of “tolerance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchtolerance—
2Latintolerantianominative neuter plural of tolerāns; accusative...
3Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
4Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
5Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
6Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “tolerance”

  • tolerancing
  • thermotolerance
  • osmotolerance
  • immunotolerance
  • toleranced
  • cryotolerance
  • halotolerance
  • hypertolerance
  • nontolerance
  • aerotolerance
  • radiotolerance
  • xerotolerance
  • heterotolerance
  • homotolerance
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →