moil

American  

[moil] / mɔɪl /

verb (used without object)

1. to work hard; drudge.

2. to whirl or churn ceaselessly; twist; eddy.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to wet or smear.

noun

1. hard work or drudgery.

2. confusion, turmoil, or trouble.

3. Glassmaking. a superfluous piece of glass formed during blowing and removed in the finishing operation.

4. Mining. a short hand tool with a polygonal point, used for breaking or prying out rock.

moil British  

/ mɔɪl /

verb

1. to moisten or soil or become moist, soiled, etc

2. (intr) to toil or drudge (esp in the phrase toil and moil )

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noun

1. toil; drudgery

2. confusion; turmoil

Other Word Forms

• moiler
  noun
• unmoiled
  adjective
• moilingly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of moil

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mollen, mulllen, “to make or get wet and muddy,” from Middle French moillier, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin molliāre, derivative of Latin mollis “soft”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

moil

Last week, he dashed into a moil of rioting Juliette Barnes fans to save Maddie when a shelf fell on her head.

From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2013

The New York Herald Tribune hissed: "L'Universite, c'est moil" On the bulletin board of Columbia's Law School appeared a scrawl: "Heil Butler!"

From Time Magazine Archive

The scene becomes a moil of solo showing off, a gleeful choreographic cadenza that no choreographer could plot.

From Time Magazine Archive

They say good-bye in another convenient tur moil of Zeppelins and searchlights.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Thank'ee, Miss; I'm better; but it's only a moil of trouble, one thing as well as t'other."

From Ralph the Heir by Anthony Trollope

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