Trending: ‘endurance’

Endurance was among our top lookups on March 9th, 2022, following reports that a ship of this name, long sitting on the sea floor, had been found.

The Endurance, the lost vessel of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was found at the weekend at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. The ship was crushed by sea-ice and sank in 1915, forcing Shackleton and his men to make an astonishing escape on foot and in small boats.
— Jonathan Amos, BBC News, 9 Mar. 2022

Endurance may be defined in multiple ways, including “the ability to withstand hardship or adversity” (in which case it often refers specifically to the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity) and “permanence, duration.” The word was a fitting title for the ship, as, following its sinking, Shackleton and his crew spent well over a year wandering the Antarctic before they were rescued.

A quick note of caution when discussing this news with someone who is passionate about the terminology of sea-faring vessels: some people feel quite strongly that there is a discernible difference between a ship and a boat. If you would like to learn more about this subject (and how could you not?) You may do so here. If you have neither the time nor inclination to do so, but still wish to avoid angering those who are punctilious about such terminology, make sure that you refer to the Endurance as a ship, and not as a boat.