Baretti: A dictionary of the English and Italian languages
Stentáre, v. n.
1. to want, to lack. Si stenta molto di grano quest'anno, corn is very scarce this year. Chi sguazza per le feste, stenta il dì da lavorare, he who lives in clover on Sundays, wants all the rest of the week; 2. to toil and moil, to labour, to work hard. Egli stenta a vivere, he can hardly make both ends meet; 3. to delay, to tarry, to put off. Non istenterà molto a venire, he will not tarry, it will not be long before he comes. — a fare una cosa, to have a great difficulty in doing something. Stento a crederlo, I hardly believe it. Stentai a persuaderlo di restare, I had much ado to persuade him to stay; v. a.to occasion delay, to put off, to procrastinate.
Florio: a worlde of wordes, or most copious, dictionarie in Italian and English
stentare: to pine, to suffer, to languish, to toile, to moile in paine with body and minde, to die or endure any calamity, to weare out ones life in miserie.