labour
[ ley-ber ]
/ ˈleɪ bər /
noun, verb (used with or without object), adjective Chiefly British.
usage note for labour
See
-or1.
OTHER WORDS FROM labour
an·ti·la·bour, adjectiveWords nearby labour
Definition for labour (2 of 2)
Also
especially British,
la·bour.
Origin of labor
1250–1300; Middle English
labour < Middle French < Latin
labōr- (stem of
labor) work
SYNONYMS FOR labor
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 ).
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
Example sentences from the Web for labour
British Dictionary definitions for labour (1 of 2)
labour
US labor
/ (ˈleɪbə) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of labour
labouringly or US laboringly, adverbWord Origin for labour
C13: via Old French from Latin
labor; perhaps related to
lābī to fall
British Dictionary definitions for labour (2 of 2)
Medical definitions for labour
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 labour
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.