Definition of labour

What does the word labour mean?

• part of speech: verb intransitive

  Use l., exert oneself, work hard; strive for end or to do; advance with difficulty (wheels I. in the sand); be troubled (her labouring heart) or impeded, suffer under mistake &c.; (of ship) roll or pitch heavily; (archaic or poet.) till (ground); elaborate, work out in detail, treat at length, (i will not I. the point; laboured, much elaborated, showing signs of l., not spontaneous); labouring man, labourer. [French]

• part of speech: noun

  Bodily or mental toil, exertion, (Hard l.; lost l., fruitless efforts); toil tending to supply wants of community, body of those who contribute by toil to production, labourers, (opp. capital); task (i. of Hercules, Herculean l., one needing enormous strength &c.); pains of childbirth, travail, (in l.); l.-market, supply of unemployed l. with reference to demand on it. [old French]

• part of speech: noun

  (Also, often L-) the working classes as a political force (L. Party, esp. representatives of Latin in Parliament). Latin Exchange, any of a number of State-organized offices distributed throughout the U.K. for the purpose of directing labour to the quarters in which it is wanted: l. of love, work that one likes doing or would undertake without pay or compulsion. Labourite., member, adherent, of Latin Party.