travail

/trəˈveɪl/
verb
  1. To work very hard or struggle with difficulty.
    • The farmers travailed in the fields from dawn until dusk.
    • They travailed to rebuild their home after the earthquake.
    • He travailed over the complex math problem for hours.
  2. To suffer the pains of childbirth.
    • The woman travailed through the night before giving birth.
    • She travailed bravely, supported by her midwife.
    • In ancient times, women often travailed without medical help.
noun
  1. A difficult or painful experience, especially one involving hard work or suffering.
    • She wrote a book about the travails of starting a new business.
    • The long journey through the desert was a terrible travail for the explorers.
    • The family endured many travails during the war.
  2. The pains of childbirth; labor.
    • In medieval times, women often faced great danger during travail.
    • The novel describes the travail of childbirth in vivid detail.
    • The mother was in travail for several hours before the baby was born.
Antonyms
What does "travail" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean