labor of love
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.73 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
1
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement or practical benefit; an altruistic work or undertaking; an action or hobby performed purely out of an inner desire to do so.
American usage
Example Sentences
- "Here, indeed, at length, must the Editor give utterance to a painful suspicion, which, through late Chapters, has begun to haunt him; paralyzing any little enthusiasm that might still have rendered his thorny Biographical task a labor of love."
- ""Alex," said the Colonel, "what a painstaking and delicate task it will be, under that law, to write your obituary." "There will be great risk in writing yours, Colonel," said Alex; "but it will be a labor of love, nevertheless; a labor of love, Colonel.""
- "It was amazing how near she had come to fitting him. "You ought to feel flattered," said she. "Only a labor of love could have turned out so well.""
- "It takes a lot of work to be a dungeon master. As the person in charge of a tabletop role-playing game — even informally among friends — you’re responsible for buying all the rulebooks, drawing up the maps, performing all the ancillary characters, and making sure your friends show up on time for each session. It’s a labor of love; a successful Dungeons & Dragons campaign often feels like a second job."
- "The Spanish musician on why (and how) she pushed herself to make “Lux,” a labor of love exploring the feminine divine and the brutalities of romance."
Etymology
Calque of Koine Greek κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης (kópou tês agápēs), from the New Testament epistles 1 Thessalonians and Hebrews
Usage
- American usage