tolerate (English)

Where does "tolerate" come from?

The English verb 'tolerate' was borrowed from the Latin 'tolerātus', which is the perfect passive participle of the Latin verb 'tolerō' meaning 'to endure'[1][2]. The ultimate origins of the Latin verb are uncertain, but it may trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*telh₂-' meaning 'to bear' or 'carry'[3]. It is also distantly related to forms like the Old English 'þolian', which meant 'to tolerate', 'suffer', or 'bear'.

Open questions

• The derivation of the Latin verb tolero from the Proto-Indo-European root *telh₂- is uncertain, with several competing morphological pathways proposed. [3]

Full etymology tree

• tolerate (English), 'To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative.'
  • borrowed toleratus (Latin), 'endured, having been endured, tolerated, having been tolerated'
    • derived tolero (Latin), 'to bear, endure, tolerate, put up with, support'

Ancestors

• toleratus (Latin)
• -ate (English)

Cognates and doublets

• tolérer (French)
• þolian (Old English)

Related words

• patience (English)

Sources

1. tolerate (English) - Wiktionary
2. toleratus (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. tolero (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris