labour
/ˈleɪ.bɚ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.70 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
That which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Workers in general; the working class, the workforce; sometimes specifically the labour movement, organised labour.
Uncountable
noun
A political party or force aiming or claiming to represent the interests of labour.
Uncountable
noun
The pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A traditional unit of area in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to 177.1 acres or 71.67 ha.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "[…]So I ſet myſelf to enlarge my Cave and Works farther into the Earth; for it was a looſe ſandy Rock, which yielded eaſily to the Labour I beſtowed on it[…]"
- "Being a labour of so great difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for."
- "In the autumn there was a row at some cement works about the unskilled labour men. A union had just been started for them and all but a few joined. One of these blacklegs was laid for by a picket and knocked out of time."
- "Near-synonyms: childbirth, parturition"
- "Paul Doherty came to the rescue when his wife Georgina went into labour early just minutes from their local hospital."
- "the establishment of a new settlement are entitled to five sitios of grazing land, and five labors (equal to 23,025 acres)"
Etymology
From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈleɪ.bɚ/
- British English: /ˈleɪ.bə/