labour
English · Français · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
labour¹
- /ˈleɪ.bə/ UK
- /ˈleɪ.bɚ/ US
Rhymes with -eɪbə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor.
noun labours · labor
- An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work. […]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[…]
- That which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort. Being a labour of so great difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for.
- Workers in general; the working class, the workforce; sometimes specifically the labour movement, organised labour. 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.
- A political party or force aiming or claiming to represent the interests of labour.
-
The act or process of a mother giving birth.
Near-synonyms: childbirth, parturition
Similar: childbirth, parturition
- The time period during which a mother gives birth.
- The pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging.
-
A traditional unit of area in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to 177.1 acres or 71.67 ha.
the establishment of a new settlement are entitled to five sitios of grazing land, and five labors (equal to 23,025 acres)
Similar: quarter-section
- A group of moles. Hidden from its broader surrounding, a labor of moles can toil with the materiality of its existence — Earth — but must always heed barriers to their subterranean sphere.
labour²
- /ˈleɪ.bə/ UK
- /ˈleɪ.bɚ/ US
Rhymes with -eɪbə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English labouren, from Old French laborer, from Latin laborare (“(intransitive) to labor, strive, exert oneself, suffer, be in distress, (transitive) to work out, elaborate”), from labor (“labor, toil, work, exertion”); perhaps remotely akin to robur (“strength”). Displaced native English swink (“toil, labor”).
verb labours · labouring · laboured · labor
-
To toil, to work.
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.
Similar: grind
- To belabour, to emphasise or expand upon (a point in a debate, etc). I think we've all got the idea. There's no need to labour the point.
- 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. the stone that labours up the hill
- To suffer the pangs of childbirth.
- To pitch or roll heavily, as a ship in a turbulent sea. the ship laboured so much, and took in so much water in her upper works, that we could neither eat, nor sleep dry
Labour³
proper noun
-
Short for the Labour Party
Similar: Liebour
- Misspelling of Labor, an Australian political party.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: moil, toil, travail, push, drive, tug, drudge, confinement, grind, working class, proletariat, labor, dig, labour party, labor party, childbed
Translations
Every language
noun work
| Español | trabajo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 노동 nodong |
| 日本語 | 労働 rōdō |
| 中文 | 勞動 /劳动 láodòng |
| हिन्दी | श्रम śram, काम kām |
| Português | trabalho, labuta |
| Français | effort, travail |
| Deutsch | Arbeit |
| Italiano | lavoro |
| Ελληνικά | εργασία ergasía, δουλειά douleiá |
| Română | muncă |
| Русский | труд trud, рабо́та rabóta |
| Tiếng Việt | lao động |
| العربية | عَمَل ʕamal, شُغْل šuḡl |
| עברית | עָמָל amál, עֲבוֹדָה avodá |
noun hard work
| Français | labeur, besogne |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | μόχθος móchthos, κόπος kópos |
| Русский | тяжёлая рабо́та tjažólaja rabóta |
noun workers
| Español | campesinos, trabajadores |
|---|---|
| Português | mão de obra |
| Français | travailleurs, ouvriers |
| Deutsch | Arbeiter |
| Italiano | lavoratori, lavoranti |
| Ελληνικά | εργατικό δυναμικό ergatikó dynamikó |
| Română | muncitori, lucrători |
| Русский | рабо́чий класс rabóčij klass, рабо́чие rabóčije |
noun political party
| Français | travaillistes, parti travailliste |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | εργατικοί ergatikoí, εργατικό κόμμα ergatikó kómma |
noun giving birth
| Español | parto, paritorio, parición |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 출산 chulsan |
| 日本語 | 出産 shussan |
| 中文 | 生產 /生产 shēngchǎn |
| Português | parto |
| Français | accouchement, travail |
| Deutsch | Wehen |
| Italiano | parto, travaglio, doglie |
| Ελληνικά | τοκετός toketós, γέννα génna, ωδίνες τοκετού odínes toketoú |
| Русский | ро́ды ródy |
| العربية | مَخَاض maḵāḍ |
| עברית | לֵדָה leidá |
verb to work
| Español | trabajar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 일하다 ilhada |
| 日本語 | 働く hataraku |
| 中文 | 工作 gōngzuò |
| हिन्दी | काम करना kām karnā |
| Português | trabalhar |
| Français | travailler |
| Deutsch | arbeiten |
| Italiano | lavorare |
| Ελληνικά | εργάζομαι ergázomai, δουλεύω doulévo, κοπιάζω kopiázo, μοχθώ mochthó |
| Русский | труди́ться trudítʹsja, рабо́тать rabótatʹ |
| العربية | عَمَلَ ʕamala |
Talk about this word "labour." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/labour. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. labour. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/labour "labour." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/labour.Cite this
@misc{labour_2026,
title = {labour},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/labour},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
