labour
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
medicine
natural-sciences
nautical
obstetrics
sciences
transport
zoology
Etymology: From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor.
Inflected forms:
form: labours
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: labor
pos: noun
tags: alternative
US
form: labours
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: labouring
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: laboured
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: laboured
pos: verb
tags: past
form: labor
pos: verb
tags: alternative
US
Senses:
gloss: An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: […]So I ſet myſelf to enlarge my Cave and Works farther into the Earth; for it was a looſe ſandy Rock, which yielded eaſily to the Labour I beſtowed on it[…]
gloss: That which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Being a labour of so great difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for.
gloss: Workers in general; the working class, the workforce; sometimes specifically the labour movement, organised labour.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time.
gloss: A political party or force aiming or claiming to represent the interests of labour.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
gloss: The act or process of a mother giving birth.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Near-synonyms: childbirth, parturition
Paul Doherty came to the rescue when his wife Georgina went into labour early just minutes from their local hospital.
gloss: The time period during which a mother gives birth.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A traditional unit of area in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to 177.1 acres or 71.67 ha.
pos: noun
tags: countable
historical
uncountable
examples: the establishment of a new settlement are entitled to five sitios of grazing land, and five labors (equal to 23,025 acres)
gloss: A group of moles.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncommon
uncountable
gloss: To toil, to work.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Standing on the mountain above Caerphilly, one may reflect upon the gap where once stood Llanbradach Viaduct, and look near at hand upon the restored ruins of Caerphilly Castle; man labours to rebuild the mediaeval whilst he ruthlessly scraps the modern.
"Crab" 2-6-0 No 42802 labours up to Beattock Summit with a northbound freight from Carlisle in August 1960.
gloss: To belabour, to emphasise or expand upon (a point in a debate, etc).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I think we've all got the idea. There's no need to labour the point.
It is needless to labor a point which is so well known. Everyone understands and appreciates the joy of finding that the long darkness is giving way, that the Sun is growing in strength, and that the days are winning a victory over the nights.
gloss: To be oppressed with difficulties or disease; to do one's work under conditions which make it especially hard or wearisome; to move slowly, as against opposition, or under a burden.
pos: verb
examples: the stone that labours up the hill
The line too labours, and the words move slow.
to cure the disorder under which he laboured
gloss: To suffer the pangs of childbirth.
pos: verb
gloss: To pitch or roll heavily, as a ship in a turbulent sea.
pos: verb
examples: the ship laboured so much, and took in so much water in her upper works, that we could neither eat, nor sleep dry
Synonyms: swink
toil
work
Related words: laborious
laboural
laboratory
Derived words: anti-labour
aristocracy of labour
back labour
big labour
bonded labour
child labour
compound labour
division of labour
emotional labour
forced labour
hard labour
in labour
laborite
labour action
labour aristocracy
labour camp
labour court
labouress
labour exchange
labour force
labour-intensive
labour law
labour lawyer
labour market
labour of love
labourous
labour power
labour relations
labour-saver
labour share
laboursome
labour theory of value
labour the point
labour union
labour-value theory
labour value theory
lip-labour
manual labour
microlabour
micro-labour
mislabour
mountain in labour
nonlabour
outlabour
overlabour
prelabour
sexual division of labour
Sisyphean labour
slave labour
socially necessary labour time
surplus labour
wage labour
labour-saving
labourer
labourism
labourist
labourite
marmalade labour
Translations:
lang: Afrikaans
word: arbeid
lang: Albanian
word: punë
lang: Arabic
word: عَمَل
roman: ʕamal
lang: Arabic
word: شُغْل
roman: šuḡl
lang: Armenian
word: աշխատանք
roman: ašxatankʻ
lang: Azerbaijani
word: əmək
lang: Azerbaijani
word: zəhmət
lang: Azerbaijani
word: iş
lang: Azerbaijani
word: əziyyət
lang: Bashkir
word: эш
roman: eş
lang: Belarusian
word: пра́ца
roman: práca
lang: Bengali
word: কাজ
roman: kaj
lang: Bengali
word: শ্রম
roman: srom
lang: Bengali
word: মেহনত
roman: mehonot
lang: Bulgarian
word: труд
roman: trud
lang: Burmese
word: အလုပ်
roman: a.lup
lang: Burmese
word: လုပ်အား
roman: lup-a:
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 勞動 /劳动
lang: Chinese
word: 勞動 /劳动
roman: lô-tōng
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 勞動 /劳动
roman: láodòng
lang: Czech
word: práce
lang: Czech
word: námaha
lang: Danish
word: arbejde
lang: Dutch
word: arbeid
lang: Finnish
word: aherrus
lang: French
word: effort
lang: French
word: travail
lang: Friulian
word: lavôr
lang: Georgian
word: შრომა
roman: šroma
lang: German
word: Arbeit
lang: Gothic
word: 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃
roman: arbaiþs
lang: Greek
word: εργασία
roman: ergasía
lang: Greek
word: δουλειά
roman: douleiá
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ἔργον
roman: érgon
lang: Hebrew
word: עָמָל
roman: amál
lang: Hebrew
word: עֲבוֹדָה
roman: avodá
lang: Hindi
word: श्रम
roman: śram
lang: Hindi
word: काम
roman: kām
lang: Hungarian
word: munka
lang: Icelandic
word: vinna
lang: Ido
word: laboro
lang: Indonesian
word: tenaga kerja
lang: Indonesian
word: kerja
lang: Irish
word: obair
lang: Irish
word: saothar
lang: Istriot
word: lavur
lang: Italian
word: lavoro
lang: Japanese
word: 労働
roman: rōdō
lang: Kazakh
word: жұмыс
roman: jūmys
lang: Kazakh
word: еңбек
roman: eñbek
lang: Kazakh
word: іс
roman: ıs
lang: Kazakh
word: қызмет
roman: qyzmet
lang: Khmer
word: ការងារ
roman: kaa ngiə
lang: Korean
word: 노동
roman: nodong
lang: Korean
word: 로동
roman: rodong
lang: Kyrgyz
word: жумуш
roman: jumuş
lang: Kyrgyz
word: иш
roman: iş
lang: Kyrgyz
word: эмгек
roman: emgek
lang: Kyrgyz
word: кызмат
roman: kızmat
lang: Ladin
word: lëur
lang: Lao
word: ການທຳ
roman: kān tham
lang: Lao
word: ນັກງານ
roman: nak ngān
lang: Lao
word: ງານ
roman: ngān
lang: Lao
word: ແຮງງານ
roman: hǣng ngān
lang: Macedonian
word: труд
roman: trud
lang: Malay
word: kerja
lang: Malayalam
word: അധ്വാനം
roman: adhvānaṁ
lang: Māori
word: mahi
lang: Mongolian
word: хөдөлмөр
roman: xödölmör
lang: Mongolian
word: ажил
roman: ažil
lang: Nahuatl
word: tequiua
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: arbeid
lang: Church Slavic
word: троудъ
roman: trudŭ
lang: Church Slavic
word: работа
roman: rabota
lang: Church Slavic
word: ⱅⱃⱆⰴⱏ
roman: trudŭ
lang: Church Slavic
word: ⱃⰰⰱⱁⱅⰰ
roman: rabota
lang: Old East Slavic
word: трудъ
roman: trudŭ
lang: Old East Slavic
word: робота
roman: robota
lang: Old English
word: weorc
lang: Old English
word: earfoþe
lang: Old Saxon
word: arƀed
lang: Pannonian Rusyn
word: трудба
roman: trudba
lang: Iranian Persian
word: کار
roman: kâr
lang: Iranian Persian
word: شُغْل
roman: šoġl
lang: Iranian Persian
word: مِحْنَت
roman: mehnat
lang: Plautdietsch
word: Oabeit
lang: Plautdietsch
word: Woakj
lang: Polish
word: praca
lang: Portuguese
word: trabalho
lang: Portuguese
word: labuta
lang: Romanian
word: muncă
lang: Romansh
word: lavur
lang: Russian
word: труд
roman: trud
lang: Russian
word: рабо́та
roman: rabóta
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: saothair
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: obair
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: ра̑д
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: rȃd
lang: Sicilian
word: travagghiu
lang: Sicilian
word: lavuri
lang: Slovak
word: práca
lang: Slovene
word: delo
lang: Spanish
word: trabajo
lang: Swedish
word: arbete
lang: Tajik
word: кор
roman: kor
lang: Tajik
word: шуғл
roman: šuġl
lang: Tajik
word: меҳнат
roman: mehnat
lang: Tatar
word: эш
roman: eş
lang: Tatar
word: хезмәт
roman: xezmät
lang: Telugu
word: శ్రమ
roman: śrama
lang: Thai
word: แรงงาน
roman: rɛɛng-ngaan
lang: Thai
word: การงาน
roman: gaan-ngaan
lang: Thai
word: งาน
roman: ngaan
lang: Tocharian B
word: lāṃs
lang: Turkish
word: emek
lang: Turkish
word: iş
lang: Turkmen
word: iş
lang: Turkmen
word: zähmet
lang: Ukrainian
word: пра́ця
roman: prácja
lang: Ukrainian
word: труд
roman: trud
lang: Urdu
word: کام
roman: kām
lang: Urdu
word: شُغْل
roman: śuġl
lang: Urdu
word: مِحْنَت
roman: mihnat
lang: Uyghur
word: ئەمگەك
roman: emgek
lang: Uzbek
word: mehnat
lang: Uzbek
word: ish
lang: Venetan
word: laóro
lang: Vietnamese
word: lao động
lang: Welsh
word: llafur
lang: Welsh
word: gwaith
lang: Yiddish
word: אַרבעט
roman: arbet