travail
[ truh-veyl, trav-eyl ]
/ trəˈveɪl, ˈtræv eɪl /
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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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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