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sorbire

to sip slowly

verb sor-BEE-reh Rare
Body & Health Senses

Origin: Latin sorbere (to sip, to absorb)

Also means

to endure (something tedious)

Usage Note

Sorbire has two registers: literally it means to sip a drink slowly (sorbire un tè), but colloquially — and more frequently — it means to put up with something or someone tedious: 'Mi tocca sorbirmi le sue lamentele' ('I have to endure his complaints'). The colloquial sense always appears with a reflexive clitic (sorbirsi).

Examples

"Mi sono sorbito tutto il discorso."

Natural Translation

I had to sit through the whole speech.

Literal Translation

To-me I-endured the whole speech.

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