Kannatuse

Kannatuse is an Estonian noun meaning patience, endurance, or forbearance. It describes the capacity to endure delays, difficulties, or pain without giving up, and it also encompasses perseverance over time. In everyday use, kannatuse can refer to calm endurance in waiting, as well as moral or emotional steadiness in trying circumstances.

Etymology and related forms: Kannatuse is linked to kannatama, meaning “to endure.” It is related to kannatus, meaning endurance or suffering, and to kannatamine, meaning the act of enduring. In sentences, kannatuse often appears in fixed expressions such as kannatuse puudumine (a lack of patience) and kannatuse harjutamine (the practice of patience).

Usage and context: Kannatuse is commonly used in both everyday language and more formal or religious discourse. It can describe personal traits, such as a person’s ability to wait calmly, as well as wider virtues like resilience and perseverance. Typical collocations include kannatust omama (to have patience), kannatuse ja visaduse (patience and perseverance), and kannatuse õpetused (teachings on patience).

Cultural significance: In Estonian culture and literature, kannatuse is often presented as a moral virtue associated with self-control, steadiness, and resilience in the face of hardship or delay. It can function as a complement to qualities like determination and endurance, forming part of a broader ethical ideal.

See also: kannatus, kannatamine, kannatused, visadus.