endeavor
/ɛnˈdɛv.ɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.56 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A sincere attempt; a determined or assiduous effort towards a specific goal; assiduous or persistent activity.
American usage
verb
To attempt through application of effort (to do something); to try strenuously.
American usage; Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far. And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer: Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity."
- "She was endeavoring to teach us the elements of a good prose style."
- "He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. With this biological framework in place, Corning endeavors to show that the capitalist system as currently practiced in the United States and elsewhere is manifestly unfair."
Etymology
The verb is from Middle English endeveren (“to make an effort”); the noun is from Middle English endevour, from the verb. Endeveren is from (putten) in dever (“(to put oneself) in duty”), from in + dever (“duty”), partially translating Middle French (se mettre) en devoir (de faire) (“(to make it) one's duty (to do), to endeavour (to do)”) (from Old French devoir, deveir (“duty”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɛnˈdɛv.ɚ/
- British English: /ɪnˈdɛv.ə/
Usage
- American usage
- Obsolete
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb