Enduring

How to spell enduring

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce enduring

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does enduring mean?

1. adjectiveLasting over a long period; continuing or persisting through time.
2. verbPresent participle of endure: undergoing or bearing something difficult without giving way.

Enduring in a sentence

• adjective

  Their friendship proved enduring despite living on opposite coasts.

• verb

  After enduring months of delays, the family finally moved into the house.

• adjective

  The brand built an enduring reputation for reliable cars.

• verb

  The hikers kept enduring the cold until the rescue team arrived.

Where does enduring come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb durare, meaning 'to last, to hold out, or to harden', which itself grew from durus, the Latin word for 'hard'. The notion is vivid: something that endures has the toughness to outlast time and pressure, just as hard material resists wear. English took the verb 'endure' from Old French endurer in the 1300s, and the present participle 'enduring' soon followed as both a verb form and a lasting-quality adjective. The same durus root survives in everyday relatives such as 'durable', 'duration', and even 'during', all sharing that sense of stretching across time. Because the spelling keeps the Latin 'dur' core intact, it is a useful anchor: think 'en-DUR-ing', not any softer vowel.

How the word is built

• en- (to make, put into)
• dur (from Latin durare: to last, to harden)
• -ing (present participle / adjective suffix)