travail
[ truh-veyl, trav-eyl ]
/ trəˈveɪl, ˈtræv eɪl /
noun
painfully difficult or burdensome work; toil.
pain, anguish or suffering resulting from mental or physical hardship.
the pain of childbirth.
verb (used without object)
to suffer the pangs of childbirth; be in labor.
to toil or exert oneself.
Origin of travail
1200–50; (v.) Middle English
travaillen < Old French
travaillier to torment < Vulgar Latin
*trepaliāre to torture, derivative of Late Latin
trepālium torture chamber, literally, instrument of torture made with three stakes (see
tri-,
pale2); (noun) Middle English < Old French: suffering, derivative of
travailler
Words nearby travail
traumato-,
traumatogenic occlusion,
traumatology,
traumatopnea,
trav.,
travail,
travancore,
trave,
travel,
travel agency,
travel agent
Example sentences from the Web for travail
British Dictionary definitions for travail
travail
/ (ˈtræveɪl) literary /
noun
painful or excessive labour or exertion
the pangs of childbirth; labour
verb
(intr)
to suffer or labour painfully, esp in childbirth
Word Origin for travail
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