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Definition--the staying power and strength to resist or withstand prolonged physical or mental exertion--endurance.

Discussion--"The world is hanging by a thread" could indicate a precarious situation, but it also indicates a pretty strong thread. Somewhat surprisingly, threads is also the Latin meaning of the term stamina.

The moral fortitude and physical strength that most of us associate with stamina is something most of us also desire. If we just have the stamina to last through a hardship, we will persevere and succeed in life. Who knew that our fates hang, not from chains of steel, but a simple (mighty) thread?

Etymology--Stamina comes from the Latin for thread stamen or warp of a cloth. The meaning for the plural, stamina, derives from threads spun by the Fates that determine how long one will live, and partly from a figurative use of Latin stamen since the warp of a cloth provides the underlying foundation of a fabric.

The languages below mostly lack a direct equivalent and instead show their roots in similar terms such as vigor and resistance.

Dutch:

uithoudingsvermogen (het)

French:

vigueur (f)

German:

(krliche) Ausdauer (f)

Italian:

resistenza

Spanish:

resistencia