Lewis & Short

tŏlĕro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. (dep. collat. form tŏlĕror, āri, acc. to Prisc. p. 800 P.) [lengthened form of the root tol, whence tollo and tuli, kindr. with the Gr. ΤΛΑΩ], to bear, support, sustain (syn.: fero, patior, sustineo, sino).

  1. I. Lit. (rare and mostly post-class.): aquilae ipsae non tolerantes pondus apprehensum una merguntur, Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 10; cf. id. 35, 14, 49, § 173: aliquem sinu, App. M. 3, p. 132, 29: gremio suo, id. ib. 4, p. 154, 23: mensula cenae totius honestas reliquias tolerans, id. ib. 2, p. 121, 26.
  2. II. Trop., to bear, endure, tolerate, sustain, support: militiam, Cic. Fam. 7, 18, 1: hiemem, id. Cat. 2, 10, 23; Hirt. B. G. 8, 5, 1: dicunt illi dolorem esse difficile toleratu, Cic. Fin. 4, 19, 52: sumptus et tributa civitatum ab omnibus tolerari aequabiliter, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 8, § 25: acritudinem, Att. ap. Fest. p. 356; Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 28: facile labores pericula, dubias atque asperas res, Sall. C. 10, 2: aequo animo servitutem, id. J. 31, 11: cursus, Ov. M. 5, 610: vaporem, id. ib. 2, 301; cf.: vaporis vim, id. ib. 11, 630: tanta peditum equitatumque vis damnaque et injuriae aegre tolerabantur, Tac. H. 2, 56 fin.: sitim aestumque, id. G. 4.
    Absol.: paulo longius tolerari posse, Caes. B. G. 7, 71: posse ipsam Liviam statuere, nubendum post Drusum an in penatibus isdem tolerandum haberet, continue, remain, Tac. A. 4, 40.
          1. (β) With object-clause (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): ferro se caedi quam dictis his toleraret, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 356 Müll. (Ann. v. 137 Vahl.): qui perpeti medicinam toleraverant, Plin. 26, 1, 3, § 3: magnitudinem mali perferre visu non toleravit, Tac. A. 3, 3 fin.
        1. b. Of inanim. or abstr. subjects: Germania imbres tempestatesque tolerat, Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 21; 35, 14, 49, § 173: tolerat et annos metica (vitis), id. 14, 2, 4, § 35.
  3. III. Transf., to support a person or thing, i. e. to nourish, maintain, sustain, preserve by food, wealth, etc., = sustentare (v. h. v. II. B. 1.; so not in Cic.): his rationibus equitatum tolerare, Caes. B. C. 3, 58: octona milia equitum suā pecuniā, Plin. 33, 10, 47, § 136: equos, Caes. B. C. 3, 49: corpora equorum, Tac. A. 2, 24; Col. 6, 24, 5: se fructibus agri, Dig. 50, 16, 203: semetipsos (pisces clausi), Col. 8, 17, 15: vitam, Caes. B. G. 7, 77; Tac. A. 15, 45 fin.; Verg. A. 8, 409: aevum, Lucr. 2, 1171: annos, Mart. 7, 64, 5: egestatem, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 57; so id. ib. 2, 2, 77: paupertatem, id. Rud. 4, 2, 14: famem, Caes. B. G. 1, 28: inopiam, Sall. C. 37, 7.
    Absol.: ut toleret (sc. erum amantem servus), ne pessum abeat, Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 12.
    1. B. To keep, observe: silentium obnixum, App. M. 4, p. 147, 1.
      Hence,
    1. A. tŏlĕrans, antis, P.a., bearing, supporting, enduring, tolerating, tolerant (post-Aug.; mostly with gen.): corpus laborum tolerans, Tac. A. 4, 1 fin.: piscium genera dulcis undae tolerantia, Col. 8, 16, 2.
      Comp.: vacca frigoris tolerantior, Col. 6, 22, 2: bello tolerantior, Aur. Vict. Caes. 11.
      Sup.: asellus plagarum et penuriae tolerantissimus, Col. 7, 1, 2.
      Adv.: tŏlĕran-ter.
      1. 1. Patiently, enduringly, tolerantly: ferre aliquid, Cic. Fam. 4, 6, 2: pati dolorem, id. Tusc. 2, 18, 43.
      2. * 2. For tolerabiliter, bearably, tolerably: at nunc anniculae fecunditatem poscuntur, tolerantius tamen bimae, moderately, Plin. 8, 45, 70, § 176.
    2. B. tŏlĕrātus, a, um, P. a., supportable, tolerable: ut clementiam ac justitiam, quanto ignara barbaris, tanto toleratiora capesseret, acceptable, Tac. A. 12, 11.† † toles (tolles), ĭum, m. [Celtic], a wen on the neck, goitre, Veg. Vet. 1, 38; 3, 64; Ser. Samm. 16, 289; Marc. Emp. 15 med.; cf. Fest. p. 356 Müll.