toil

toil
I. noun Etymology: Middle English toile, from Anglo-French toyl, from toiller Date: 14th century 1. archaic a. struggle, battle b. laborious effort 2. long strenuous fatiguing labor Synonyms: see worktoilful adjectivetoilfully adverb II. verb Etymology: Middle English, to argue, struggle, from Anglo-French toiller to make dirty, fight, wrangle, from Latin tudiculare to crush, grind, from tudicula machine for crushing olives, diminutive of tudes hammer; akin to Latin tundere to beat — more at contusion Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to work hard and long 2. to proceed with laborious effort ; plod transitive verb 1. archaic overwork 2. archaic to get or accomplish with great effort • toiler noun III. noun Etymology: Middle French toile cloth, net, from Old French teile, Latin tela cloth on a loom — more at subtle Date: circa 1529 1. a net to trap game 2. something by which one is held fast or inextricably involved ; snare, trap — usually used in plural <
caught in the toils of the law
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Toil — Toil, n. [OE. toil turmoil, struggle; cf. OD. tuyl labor, work. See {Toil}, v.] Labor with pain and fatigue; labor that oppresses the body or mind, esp. the body. [1913 Webster] My task of servile toil. Milton. [1913 Webster] After such bloody… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toil — toil1 [toil] vi. [ME toilen < Anglo Fr toiler, to strive, dispute < OFr toeillier, to pull about, begrime < L tudiculare, to stir about < tudicula, small machine for bruising olives < tudes, mallet < base of tundere, to beat… …   English World dictionary

  • Toil — Toil, n. [F. toiles, pl., toils, nets, fr. toile cloth, canvas, spider web, fr. L. tela any woven stuff, a web, fr. texere to weave. See {Text}, and cf. {Toilet}.] A net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey; usually in the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Toil — Toil, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Toiled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Toiling}.] [OE. toilen to pull about, to toil; of uncertain origin; cf. OD. teulen, tuylen, to labor, till, or OF. tooillier, toailler, to wash, rub (cf. {Towel}); or perhaps ultimately from… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • TOIL — index effort, endeavor (noun), endeavor (verb), industry (activity), labor (work), labor, persevere …   Law dictionary

  • Toil — Toil, v. t. 1. To weary; to overlabor. [Obs.] Toiled with works of war. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To labor; to work; often with out. [R.] [1913 Webster] Places well toiled and husbanded. Holland. [1913 Webster] [I] toiled out my uncouth passage.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toil — [n] hard work application, drudgery, effort, exertion, industry, labor, moil, nine to five*, occupation, pains*, sweat, travail; concepts 100,362,677 Ant. entertainment, fun, pastime toil [v] work hard drive, drudge, grind, knock oneself out*,… …   New thesaurus

  • TOIL — UK US /tɔɪl/ noun [U] UK HR ► ABBREVIATION for TIME OFF IN LIEU(Cf. ↑time off in lieu) → See also COMPENSATORY TIME(Cf. ↑compensatory time) …   Financial and business terms

  • toil — n labor, *work, travail, drudgery, grind Analogous words: *effort, exertion, pains, trouble: employment, occupation, calling, pursuit, business (see WORK) Antonyms: leisure …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • toil — ► VERB 1) work extremely hard or incessantly. 2) move somewhere slowly and with difficulty. ► NOUN ▪ exhausting work. DERIVATIVES toiler noun. ORIGIN Old French toiler strive, dispute , from Latin tudiculare stir about …   English terms dictionary

  • toil|er — «IH luhr», noun. a person who toils; hard worker; laborer …   Useful english dictionary

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