"The Dude abides" — what does "abide" mean in that context?

I'm unfamilar with the word "abide" which is famously used the the movie quote "The Dude abides" (The Big Lebowski).

Looking it up in a German/English dictionary makes me believe it's "The Dude lives on", but I heard the word used on a way that makes it seem to be a variant of "approve", as in "The Dude does not abide this behavior".

I hear it used as "to obey" a lot, as in "we must all abide by the rules".

Can someone shed some light into the meaning of "The Dude abides" in the context it's been used?

Solution 1:

Some discussions of the movie reference a peaceful, almost zen acceptance, as well as the idea that

The Dude will always be around.

A discussion on Reddit of what "the Dude abides" means has some consensus that it's an

Intentionally vague phrase hinting at the fact that The Dude Lives, in his unperturbable state of dudeness, somewhere.

and that the definitions "accept" and "continue" make sense in this context.

As @wfaulk points out, today we usually use abide transitively to mean things like trusting in, accepting or obeying; so it doesn't mean The Dude accepts or endures a particular thing, but I agree that the phrase still can imply a sense of patience or toleration, even if it's just the way someone waits or continues.

If you look at the etymology of abide, you can see how some of these meanings emerge:

O.E. abidan, gebidan "remain, wait, delay, remain behind," from ge- completive prefix (denoting onward motion; see a- (1)) + bidan "bide, remain, wait, dwell" (see bide). ... Meaning "to put up with" (now usually negative) first recorded 1520s.

and going back to bide:

O.E. bidan "to stay, continue, live, remain," also "to trust, rely" (cognate of O.N. biða, O.Fris. bidia, Goth. beidan "to wait"), apparently from PIE *bheidh-, an extended stem of one root of O.E. biddan (see bid), the original sense of which was "to command," and "to trust" (cf. Gk. peithein "to persuade," pistis "faith;" L. fidere "to trust," foedus "compact, treaty," O.C.S. beda "need"). Perhaps the sense evolved in prehistoric times through "endure," and "endure a wait," to "to wait."

I think you're right: The Dude endures; The Dude lives on.

Solution 2:

I believe this is an allusion to Ecclesiastes 1:4 (KJV):

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

The sense of the word "abide" is certainly "to live on, to continue to exist." The whole chapter expresses the idea that human affairs are of only fleeting importance, and are insignificant in the context of the unchanging earth and its natural cycles.

Similarly, I understand the line from the film as suggesting that the Dude is a sort of eternal natural force, not affected by the doings of ordinary mortals. It is to be understood as a philosophical musing, not a literal statement.

Solution 3:

From Merriam-Webster:

abide (intransitive verb)
1 : to remain stable or fixed in a state
2 : to continue in a place : sojourn

However, its transitive meanings relate to accepting without complaint. While that cannot be the meaning in that sentence, as the construction is intransitive, I believe that the connotation is there.

Ultimately, I think it's somewhat intentionally ambiguous.