labor

[ ley-ber ]

/ ˈleɪ bər /

noun

productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain.

the body of persons engaged in such activity, especially those working for wages.

this body of persons considered as a class (distinguished from management and capital).

physical or mental work, especially of a hard or fatiguing kind; toil.

a job or task done or to be done.

the physical effort and periodic uterine contractions of childbirth.

the interval from the onset of these contractions to childbirth.

(initial capital letter) Also called Labor Department. Informal. the Department of Labor.

verb (used without object)

to perform labor; exert one's powers of body or mind; work; toil.

to strive, as toward a goal; work hard (often followed by for): to labor for peace.

to act, behave, or function at a disadvantage (usually followed by under): to labor under a misapprehension.

to be in the actual process of giving birth.

to roll or pitch heavily, as a ship.

verb (used with object)

to develop or dwell on in excessive detail: Don't labor the point.

to burden or tire: to labor the reader with unnecessary detail.

British Dialect. to work or till (soil or the like).

adjective

of or relating to workers, their associations, or working conditions: labor reforms.

Also especially British, la·bour.

Origin of labor

1250–1300; Middle English labour < Middle French < Latin labōr- (stem of labor) work

SYNONYMS FOR labor

2 working people, working class.

4 exertion.

6 parturition, delivery.

9 drudge.

14 overdo.

ANTONYMS FOR labor

1, 4 idleness; leisure.

1, 4, 9 rest.

synonym study for labor

4. See work.

historical usage of labor

The English noun labor comes into English via Old French labor, labour (French labeur ) from Latin labōr-, the inflectional stem of the noun labor “labor, work, toil.” The Latin noun has just about all the meanings of English labor (including that of childbirth), but not the relatively modern English sense “workers, manual workers taken together as a social group or class,” which dates from the 19th century.
The Latin etymology for labor is obscure: the noun may be related to the verb lābī (which has a long ā ) “to move smoothly, slide” (commonly with implication of downward movement). Lābī in its turn may be related to labāre (with a short a in the root syllable) “to be unsteady on one’s feet, falter, totter.” These derivatives of lāb- and lab- may be related to the Latin nouns labium (the source of English labial ) and labrum, both meaning “lip” and, outside Latin, to the Greek noun lobós “lobe (of the ear, liver, or lung), pod (of a vegetable), slip (of a plant)” (and source of English lobe ).

OTHER WORDS FROM labor

la·bor·ing·ly, adverb la·bor·less, adjective an·ti·la·bor, adjective non·la·bor, adjective

out·la·bor, verb (used with object) o·ver·la·bor, verb (used with object) pre·la·bor, noun, verb (used without object) pro·la·bor, adjective un·la·bor·ing, adjective

Words nearby labor

labiovelarize, labioversion, labium, lablab, labneh, labor, labor and socialist international, labor camp, labor day, labor force, labor market

Example sentences from the Web for anti-labor

"Anti-labor," the clerk said, and typed the designation on the form.

The Cartels Jungle |Irving E. Cox, Jr.
Smith replied that he thought it was "rotten" and that he couldn't agree with Grimm's anti-labor conception of Americanism.

The Centralia Conspiracy |Ralph Chaplin
Centralia happened to be the place where the tree of anti-labor propaganda first bore its ghastly fruit.

The Centralia Conspiracy |Ralph Chaplin
But other anti-labor matters took up their attention and it was some time before the second raid was actually accomplished.

The Centralia Conspiracy |Ralph Chaplin

British Dictionary definitions for anti-labor

labor

/ (ˈleɪbə) /

verb, noun

the US spelling of labour

Medical definitions for anti-labor

labor

[ lā′bər ]

n.

The physical efforts of expulsion of the fetus and the placenta from the uterus during parturition.

v.

To undergo the efforts of childbirth.

Scientific definitions for anti-labor

labor

[ lā′bər ]

The process by which the birth of a mammal occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the fetus and the placenta.

Cultural definitions for anti-labor

labor

The physical processes at the end of a normal pregnancy, including opening of the cervix and contractions of the uterus, that lead to the birth of the baby.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

labor