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   labour

   /ˈleɪbə/

   noun

   • 1. work, especially physical work: "the price of repairs includes labour, parts, and VAT" Similar taskjobchoreundertakingmissioncommissionassignment
   • ▪ workers, especially manual workers, considered collectively: "non-union casual labour" Similar workersemployeesworkmenworkforcestaffworking peopleblue-collar workershandslabourerslabour forcehired handsproletariatwage-earnersmanpowerhuman resourcespersonnelhumorous:livewareOpposite management
   • ▪ workers considered as a social class or political force: "the labour movement"
   • ▪ a government department concerned with a nation's workforce: "the Labour Secretary"
   • 2. the Labour Party: "the Labour leader"
   • 3. the process of childbirth from the start of uterine contractions to delivery: "a woman in labour" Similar childbirthbirthbirthingdeliverynativitycontractionslabour painslabour pangslabour throestechnical:parturitionarchaic:confinementaccouchementlying-inchildbedtravail
   • 4. a group of moles: rare "a labour of moles toils with the Earth"

   verb

   • 1. work hard; make great effort: "they laboured from dawn to dusk" Similar work (hard)toilslave (away)grub awayplod awaygrind awaysweat awaystrugglestriveexert oneselfoverworkwork one's fingers to the bonework like a Trojan/dog/slavekeep one's nose to the grindstoneinformal:slog awaykill oneselfplug awayput one's back into somethingpeg awaygraftarchaic:drudgetravailmoilOpposite restrelaxlaze
   • ▪ work at an unskilled manual occupation: "he was eking out an existence by labouring"
   • ▪ till (the ground): archaic "the land belonged to him who laboured it"
   • 2. have difficulty in doing something despite working hard: "United laboured against confident opponents" Similar strivestruggleendeavourworktry hardmake every effortdo one's bestdo one's utmostdo all one cangive (it/something) one's allgo all outfightpushbe at painsput oneself outapply oneselfexert oneselfinformal:bend/fall/lean over backwardsgive it one's best shotpull out all the stops
   • ▪ move or proceed with difficulty: "they laboured up a steep, tortuous track"
   • ▪ (of an engine) work noisily and with difficulty: "the wheels churned, the engine labouring"
   • ▪ (of a ship) roll or pitch heavily: "the seas ran high, and the ship laboured hard"
   • 3. (of a woman in childbirth) be in labour: "she laboured very well and comfortably because she was relaxed"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French labour (noun), labourer (verb), both from Latin labor ‘toil, trouble’.

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • L

     1

   • A

     1

   • B

     3

   • O

     1

   • U

     1

   • R

     1

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