travail


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tra·vail

 (trə-vāl′, trăv′āl′)
n.
1. Work, especially when arduous or involving painful effort; toil. See Synonyms at work.
2. Tribulation or agony; anguish.
3. The labor of childbirth.
intr.v. tra·vailed, tra·vail·ing, tra·vails
1. To work strenuously; toil.
2. To be in the labor of childbirth.

[Middle English, from Old French, from travailler, to work hard, from Vulgar Latin *tripāliāre, to torture with a tripalium, from Late Latin tripālium, instrument of torture, probably from Latin tripālis, having three stakes : tri-, tri- + pālus, stake; see pag- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

travail

(ˈtræveɪl)
n
1. painful or excessive labour or exertion
2. (Gynaecology & Obstetrics) the pangs of childbirth; labour
vb
(Gynaecology & Obstetrics) (intr) to suffer or labour painfully, esp in childbirth
[C13: from Old French travaillier, from Vulgar Latin tripaliāre (unattested) to torture, from Late Latin trepālium instrument of torture, from Latin tripālis having three stakes, from trēs three + pālus stake]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tra•vail

(trəˈveɪl, ˈtræv eɪl)

n.
1. painfully difficult or burdensome work; toil.
2. pain, anguish, or suffering resulting from mental or physical hardship.
3. the pain of childbirth; labor.
v.i.
4. to toil or exert oneself.
5. to suffer the pangs of childbirth; be in labor.
[1200–50; Middle English travaillen (v.) < Old French travaillier to torment < Vulgar Latin *trepaliāre, derivative of Late Latin trepālium torture chamber, literally, instrument of torture made with three stakes (see tri-, pale2)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

travail


Past participle: travailed
Gerund: travailing

Imperative
travail
travail
Present
I travail
you travail
he/she/it travails
we travail
you travail
they travail
Preterite
I travailed
you travailed
he/she/it travailed
we travailed
you travailed
they travailed
Present Continuous
I am travailing
you are travailing
he/she/it is travailing
we are travailing
you are travailing
they are travailing
Present Perfect
I have travailed
you have travailed
he/she/it has travailed
we have travailed
you have travailed
they have travailed
Past Continuous
I was travailing
you were travailing
he/she/it was travailing
we were travailing
you were travailing
they were travailing
Past Perfect
I had travailed
you had travailed
he/she/it had travailed
we had travailed
you had travailed
they had travailed
Future
I will travail
you will travail
he/she/it will travail
we will travail
you will travail
they will travail
Future Perfect
I will have travailed
you will have travailed
he/she/it will have travailed
we will have travailed
you will have travailed
they will have travailed
Future Continuous
I will be travailing
you will be travailing
he/she/it will be travailing
we will be travailing
you will be travailing
they will be travailing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been travailing
you have been travailing
he/she/it has been travailing
we have been travailing
you have been travailing
they have been travailing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been travailing
you will have been travailing
he/she/it will have been travailing
we will have been travailing
you will have been travailing
they will have been travailing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been travailing
you had been travailing
he/she/it had been travailing
we had been travailing
you had been travailing
they had been travailing
Conditional
I would travail
you would travail
he/she/it would travail
we would travail
you would travail
they would travail
Past Conditional
I would have travailed
you would have travailed
he/she/it would have travailed
we would have travailed
you would have travailed
they would have travailed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.travail - concluding state of pregnancytravail - concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child; "she was in labor for six hours"
uterine contraction - a rhythmic tightening in labor of the upper uterine musculature that contracts the size of the uterus and pushes the fetus toward the birth canal
effacement - shortening of the uterine cervix and thinning of its walls as it is dilated during labor
birthing, giving birth, parturition, birth - the process of giving birth
maternity, pregnancy, gestation - the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
premature labor, premature labour - labor beginning prior to the 37th week of gestation
asynclitism, obliquity - the presentation during labor of the head of the fetus at an abnormal angle
2.travail - use of physical or mental energytravail - use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion"
toil, labor, labour - productive work (especially physical work done for wages); "his labor did not require a great deal of skill"
struggle - strenuous effort; "the struggle to get through the crowd exhausted her"
difficulty, trouble - an effort that is inconvenient; "I went to a lot of trouble"; "he won without any trouble"; "had difficulty walking"; "finished the test only with great difficulty"
least effort, least resistance - the least effortful way to do something
straining, strain - an intense or violent exertion
exercise, exercising, physical exercise, physical exertion, workout - the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit; "the doctor recommended regular exercise"; "he did some exercising"; "the physical exertion required by his work kept him fit"
pull - a sustained effort; "it was a long pull but we made it"
diligence, application - a diligent effort; "it is a job requiring serious application"
overkill - any effort that seems to go farther than would be necessary to achieve its goal
supererogation - an effort above and beyond the call of duty
overexertion - excessive exertion; so much exertion that discomfort or injury results
detrition, friction, rubbing - effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure
Verb1.travail - work hardtravail - work hard; "She was digging away at her math homework"; "Lexicographers drudge all day long"
do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

travail

noun (Literary) toil, suffering, pain, stress, labour, grind (informal), effort, tears, strain, distress, sweat, hard work, slavery, hardship, slog, exertion, drudgery He did whatever he could to ease their travail.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

travail

noun
1. Physical exertion that is usually difficult and exhausting:
Informal: sweat.
Chiefly British: fag.
Idiom: sweat of one's brow.
2. The act or process of bringing forth young:
verb
To exert one's mental or physical powers, usually under difficulty and to the point of exhaustion:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

travail

[ˈtræveɪl] N (archaic or hum) → esfuerzo m penoso (Med) → dolores mpl del parto
to be in travailafanarse, azacanarse (archaic) (Med) → estar de parto
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

travail

n
usu pl (= toils)Mühen pl; after all the travails of Watergatenach den schweren Belastungen durch die Watergate-Affäre
(old, liter: = exhausting labour) → Plackerei f, → Mühsal f
(old: = childbirth) → (Geburts)wehen pl
vi
(old, liter: = toil) → sich plagen (old); he travailed in the depths of despairer litt in tiefer Verzweiflung
(old: in childbirth) → in den Wehen liegen, Wehen haben
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in classic literature ?
But owing to the superstition that the fewer the people who know of it the less a woman in travail suffers, everyone tried to pretend not to know; no one spoke of it, but apart from the ordinary staid and respectful good manners habitual in the prince's household, a common anxiety, a softening of the heart, and a consciousness that something great and mysterious was being accomplished at that moment made itself felt.
The Delian hymn describes how Leto, in travail with Apollo, sought out a place in which to bear her son, and how Apollo, born in Delos, at once claimed for himself the lyre, the bow, and prophecy.
(with pain and travail) produced her into the world.
Sir, said Launcelot, I may as well find in my heart for to forbear him at this time, for he hath had travail enough this day, and when a good knight doth so well upon some day, it is no good knight's part to let him of his worship, and, namely, when he seeth a knight hath done so great labour; for peradventure, said Sir Launcelot, his quarrel is here this day, and peradventure he is best beloved with this lady of all that be here, for I see well he paineth himself and enforceth him to do great deeds, and therefore, said Sir Launcelot, as for me, this day he shall have the honour; though it lay in my power to put him from it, I would not.
Another, and a more satisfactory smoke, succeeded this repast, and sweet slumbers answering the peaceful invocation of our pipes, wrapped us in that delicious rest, which is only won by toil and travail." As to Captain Bonneville, he slept in the lodge of the venerable patriarch, who had evidently conceived a most disinterested affection for him; as was shown on the following morning.
The doctor and his friends felt themselves in a very anomalous condition; an atmospheric current of extreme velocity was bearing them away beyond arid mountains, upon whose summits vast fields of snow surprised the gaze; while their convulsed appearance told of Titanic travail in the earliest epoch of the world's existence.
Lines formed in his face, and in those lines were the travail of the North, the bite of the frost, all that he had achieved and suffered--the long, unending weeks of trail, the bleak tundra shore of Point Barrow, the smashing ice-jam of the Yukon, the battles with animals and men, the lean-dragged days of famine, the long months of stinging hell among the mosquitoes of the Koyokuk, the toil of pick and shovel, the scars and mars of pack-strap and tump-line, the straight meat diet with the dogs, and all the long procession of twenty full years of toil and sweat and endeavor.
And hath, therefore, no whit of charge or travail.'
For Johnson and Leach the travail of existence had ceased.
And generally, all warlike people are a little idle, and love danger better than travail. Neither must they be too much broken of it, if they shall be preserved in vigor.
In sore travail, gasping, reeling, panting, with glazing eyes and sobbing breath, grotesque and heroic, fighting to the last, striving to get at his antagonist, he surged and was driven about the ring.
"Why should I leave one comfortable soul in comfort when there are millions in travail and misery?" he demanded back.