Toleration

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /tÉ’ləˈɹeɪʃən/

Origin

From Middle French toleration, from Latin tolerātiōnem, accusative singular of tolerātiō, from the verb tolerō ("I tolerate"). Compare tolerance.

Full definition of toleration

Noun

1. (obsolete) Endurance of evil, suffering etc.
2. The allowance of something not explicitly approved; tolerance, forbearance.
3. Specifically, the allowance by a government (or other ruling power) of the exercise of religion beyond the state established faith.
• 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin 2013, p. 86:Above all, the establishment of toleration helped to weaken the presumption that plurality in matters of faith inevitably caused social disorder.