labour
|la-bour|
🇺🇸
/ˈleɪbər/
🇬🇧
/ˈleɪbə/
work with effort
Etymology
'labour' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'labor', where 'labor' meant 'toil, work, effort'.
'labour' passed into Old French as 'labour' and entered Middle English as 'labour', eventually becoming the modern English word 'labour'.
Initially it meant 'toil or work', and over time it retained that core meaning while also extending to senses such as 'employment' and the childbirth sense 'the process of giving birth'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
physical work, especially hard, tiring work.
The job involves a lot of manual labour.
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Noun 2
the workforce or the body of people engaged in work; employment.
The government introduced measures to protect labour rights.
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Noun 3
the process of childbirth (the period of labour/being in labour).
She was in labour for 12 hours before the baby was born.
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Verb 1
to work hard or do physical work.
They laboured in the fields from dawn until dusk.
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Verb 2
to struggle to do something; to make a great effort (often with difficulty).
She laboured to finish the report on time.
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Last updated: 2025/10/01 07:10