abide

/ə-ˈbīd/

Middle English abiden, going back to Old English abīdan, from a-, perfective prefix + bīdan "to bide, wait"; a- (also ā-, ǣ- under stress in nominal derivatives) akin to Old Frisian a-, perfective prefix, Old Saxon ā-, ō- (unstressed a-) and probably to Old English or- "outward, extreme, lacking (in nominal compounds)," Old Frisian & Old Saxon ur-, or-, Old High German ar-, ir-, er- unstressed inchoative verb prefix, ur "out of, away from," Old Norse ūr-, ör-, "out of, from," ør-, privative prefix, Gothic us- "out of," us-, privative and perfective prefix; if from pre-Germanic *ud-s- akin to Old English ūt "out"

verb

  1. to bear patiently : tolerate

  2. to endure without yielding : withstand

  3. to wait for : await

cannot abide such bigots

abide the onrush of the enemy

bear suffer endure abide tolerate stand mean to put up with something trying or painful. bear usually implies the power to sustain without flinching or breaking. suffer often suggests acceptance or passivity rather than courage or patience in bearing.