Word of the Day - 04/03/26
forbearance
/fɔr'bɜrəns/(n.): a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges; refraining from acting
The landlord granted a period of forbearance, allowing the tenants to delay their rent payment until they secured new employment.
(n.): patience for failure or wrongdoing
The manager showed considerable forbearance towards his new employee's initial slowness and mistakes.
Word Origin
The word “forbearance” comes from Old English and derives from the verb forberan, meaning “to hold back, to endure, or to abstain,” which itself comes from beran, the Old English verb meaning “to bear” or “to carry.” The prefix “for-” in forberan functions as an intensifier, meaning “completely” or “thoroughly,” so the word literally conveys the sense of fully bearing or restraining oneself
Words with a similar origin include “forbear”, which retains the sense of refraining or holding back, and “bear”, in the sense of enduring or carrying a burden, both tracing back to the same root beran. The prefix “for-” also appears in other Old English–derived words with intensifying or preventative senses, such as forbid, meaning “completely command against”; forsake, meaning “completely abandon”; forgive, meaning “completely give over” in the sense of pardoning; and forestall, meaning “to place before” or “prevent.”