Showing results for "endeavour"

• a variation of endeavor.

endeavour

British  

/ ɪnˈdɛvə /

verb

1. to try (to do something)

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noun

1. an effort to do or attain something

Other Word Forms

• endeavourer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of endeavour

C14: endeveren , from _en- ¹ + -deveren from dever duty, from Old French deveir; see _devoirs

Explanation

To endeavour is to strive for something. The endeavour itself is the thing you're striving for, the enterprise or undertaking. It's a primarily British spelling of the word. The Middle English root of endeavour means to "put oneself in" or "do one's utmost," so if you endeavour to do something, you do it with earnestness and a fair amount of effort. Americans usually spell the word endeavor, but NASA named one of its space shuttles the Endeavour. Why the extra "u"? NASA was honoring the HMS Endeavour, the first ship ever used by the British explorer Captain James Cook.

Example Sentences

Precious metal miner Hochschild Mining drops 3.2% while peer Fresnillo slides 2% and Endeavour Mining drops 1.4%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

In London, shares in gold miner Endeavour Mining fell 2.05% while peer Fresnillo dropped around 1%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

Construction on the California Science Center’s new Samuel Oschin Air & Space Center, home to the Endeavour shuttle, is complete.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

Despite the grandeur of the Endeavour, the Science Center didn’t want to glorify it either.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

The Endeavour, the last shuttle built to journey into space, journeyed on land to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson