Endurability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being able to withstand long periods of stress, strain, or use without breaking down or losing function
2. The degree to which something can last through hard use, difficulty, or the passage of time without giving way
3. Staying power under pressure, meaning the ability of a person, material, or object to persist through adversity or wear

Etymology: The noun "endurability" is a plain English construction: the verb "endure" with the suffix "-ability" attached. That suffix is itself a layered borrowing. It descends from Latin "-abilitas", which was formed from "-abilis" ("able to be"), and reached English through Middle French "-ablete" and Middle English "-ablete" before settling into the form "-ability" used today. Each element carries the sense of being capable of a certain action, so the whole word means the quality of being able to be endured. The verb "endure" has a more eventful past. It comes from Old French "endurer", which in turn came from Latin "indurare", meaning to harden or make hard. The original idea was of hardening oneself against something, and the sense of bearing hardship gradually grew out of that picture of physical toughness.

Synonyms: durability, endurance, resilience, stamina, toughness

Antonyms: fragility, frailty, weakness