The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Suffer \Suf"fer\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Suffered; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Suffering.] [OE. suffren, soffren, OF. sufrir, sofrir,
   F. souffrir, (assumed) LL. sofferire, for L. sufferre; sub
   under + ferre to bear, akin to E. bear. See Bear to
   support.]
   1. To feel, or endure, with pain, annoyance, etc.; to submit
      to with distress or grief; to undergo; as, to suffer pain
      of body, or grief of mind.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To endure or undergo without sinking; to support; to
      sustain; to bear up under.
      [1913 Webster]

            Our spirit and strength entire,
            Strongly to suffer and support our pains. --Milton.
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   3. To undergo; to be affected by; to sustain; to experience;
      as, most substances suffer a change when long exposed to
      air and moisture; to suffer loss or damage.
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            If your more ponderous and settled project
            May suffer alteration.                --Shak.
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   4. To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder; to tolerate.
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            Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not
            suffer sin upon him.                  --Lev. xix.
                                                  17.
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            I suffer them to enter and possess.   --Milton.
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   Syn: To permit; bear; endure; support; sustain; allow; admit;
        tolerate. See Permit.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Suffering \Suf"fer*ing\, n.
   The bearing of pain, inconvenience, or loss; pain endured;
   distress, loss, or injury incurred; as, sufferings by pain or
   sorrow; sufferings by want or by wrongs. "Souls in sufferings
   tried." --Keble.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Suffering \Suf"fer*ing\, a.
   Being in pain or grief; having loss, injury, distress, etc.
   -- Suf"fer*ing*ly, adv.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

suffering
    adj 1: troubled by pain or loss; "suffering refugees"
    2: very unhappy; full of misery; "he felt depressed and
       miserable"; "a message of hope for suffering humanity";
       "wretched prisoners huddled in stinking cages" [syn:
       miserable, suffering, wretched]
    n 1: a state of acute pain [syn: agony, suffering,
         excruciation]
    2: misery resulting from affliction [syn: suffering, woe]
    3: psychological suffering; "the death of his wife caused him
       great distress" [syn: distress, hurt, suffering]
    4: feelings of mental or physical pain [syn: suffering,
       hurt]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

73 Moby Thesaurus words for "suffering":
   Schmerz, ache, aches and pains, aching, admissive, adversity,
   afflicted, affliction, agonized, agony, allowing, blow, consenting,
   convulsed, cramp, crucified, cut, discomfort, distress, distressed,
   dolor, grief, hardship, harrowed, hurt, hurting, in distress,
   in pain, indulgent, injury, lacerated, lax, lenient, lesion,
   malaise, martyred, martyrized, misery, misfortune, nasty blow,
   nonprohibitive, on the rack, pain, pained, pang, passion,
   permissive, permitting, racked, shock, sore, sore spot, spasm,
   stress, stress of life, stroke, tender spot, throes, tolerant,
   tolerating, torment, tormented, torture, tortured, trial,
   tribulation, twisted, under the harrow, unprohibitive, wound,
   wounded, wrench, wrung