effort
/ˈɛf.ɚt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.92 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The work involved in performing an activity; exertion.
noun
An endeavor.
Example Sentences
- "make an effort"
- "take a lot of effort"
- "put in effort"
- "It took a lot of effort to find a decent-sized, fully-furnished apartment within walking distance of the office. He made a conscious effort to not appear affected by the stories in the paper."
- "The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking."
- "The 30-year-old South Korean, who joined United in 2005, retired from international duty after last season's Asian Cup in an effort to prolong his club"
Etymology
From Middle French effort, from Old French esfort, deverbal of esforcier (“to force, exert”), from Vulgar Latin *exfortiō, from Latin ex + fortis (“strong”). Compare typologically Bulgarian усилие (usilie), Czech úsilí, Polish wysiłek, Russian уси́лие (usílije) (< Proto-Slavic *sila).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *bʰerǵʰ-, effort, esfort, *exfortiō, ex
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɛf.ɚt/
- British English: /ˈɛf.ət/