labor

See also:Labor

English

Alternative forms

• labour(non-American spelling)

Pronunciation

• (US)IPA^(key):/ˈleɪ.bɚ/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-eɪbə(ɹ)

Noun

labor(countableanduncountable,plurallabors)

1. (chieflyUS)Alternative spelling oflabour

Derived terms

Terms derived fromlabor(noun)

• affective labor
• anti-labor
• back labor
• belabor
• big labor
• bonded labor
• child labor
• day labor
• division of labor
• emotional labor
• forced labor
• ghost labor
• hard labor
• introversive labor
• labor action
• labor camp
• Labor Day
• laborer
• labor exchange
• labor force
• labor-intensive
• labor-intensiveness
• laborization
• labor law
• labor market
• labor of love
• labor pain
• labor power
• labor relations
• labor-saving
• labor share
• labor theory of value
• labor the point
• labor union
• labor value theory
• labor-value theory
• manual labor
• means of labor
• micro-labor
• prison labor
• sexual division of labor
• slave labor
• stoop labor
• subject of labor
• touch labor
• wage labor

Related terms

• laboral
• laborious

Verb

labor(third-person singular simple presentlabors,present participlelaboring,simple past and past participlelabored)

1. USstandard spelling oflabour.

Anagrams

• Albor,Albro,Balor,Bolar,bolar,boral,lobar

Catalan

Etymology

BorrowedfromLatinlabōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):(Central)[ləˈβor]
• IPA^(key):(Balearic)[ləˈbo]
• IPA^(key):(Valencia)[laˈboɾ]

Noun

laborm(plurallabors)

1. labour,work

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed fromGermanLabor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ˈlɒbor]
• Hyphenation:la‧bor

Noun

labor(plurallaborok)

1. (informal)lab,laboratory

   Synonym:laboratórium

Declension

Inflection (stem in-o-,back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	labor	laborok
accusative	labort	laborokat
dative	labornak	laboroknak
instrumental	laborral	laborokkal
causal-final	laborért	laborokért
translative	laborrá	laborokká
terminative	laborig	laborokig
essive-formal	laborként	laborokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	laborban	laborokban
superessive	laboron	laborokon
adessive	labornál	laboroknál
illative	laborba	laborokba
sublative	laborra	laborokra
allative	laborhoz	laborokhoz
elative	laborból	laborokból
delative	laborról	laborokról
ablative	labortól	laboroktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	laboré	laboroké
non-attributive possessive - plural	laboréi	laborokéi

Possessive formsoflabor
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	laborom	laborjaim
2nd person sing.	laborod	laborjaid
3rd person sing.	laborja	laborjai
1st person plural	laborunk	laborjaink
2nd person plural	laborotok	laborjaitok
3rd person plural	laborjuk	laborjaik

Latin

Etymology 1

FromOld Latinlabōs,of uncertain origin. Perhaps from aProto-Indo-Europeanroot*leb-(“to seize, take”),whenceSanskritलभते(labhate,“take, gain”)andLithuanianlõbis(“wealth”).More commonly connected withlabō(“I totter”)(see Etymology 2 below), but this is rejected by de Vaan, who however provides no alternative.The semantic connection is weak in either case.

Prósper (2019, 27 (483)) suggests a possible root *dh̥₂bʰ-ōs, cognate withLithuaniandobti(“to strike, beat, kill, (dial.) torment, exhaust”).See source for more.

Alternative forms

• labōs

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin)IPA^(key):/ˈla.bor/,[ˈɫ̪äbɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)IPA^(key):/ˈla.bor/,[ˈläːbor]

Noun

laborm(genitivelabōris);third declension

2. work
3. labor,toil,exertion

   Synonyms:cōnātus,studium,opus,opera,cūra,mōlīmen,intēnsiō,mōlēs,pulvis

   • 8CE,Ovid,Fasti4.641–642:

     rege Numa, frūctū nōn respondentelabōrī,
     inrita dēceptī vōta colentīs erant

     When Numa was king, the produce not respondingto the labor,
     prayers were ineffective, the farmer deceived

4. (chieflypoetic)hardship,trouble,fatigue,suffering,drudgery,distress
   • c.52BCE,Julius Caesar,Commentarii de Bello GallicoVII.28:

     Laboreoperis incitati

     Incitedby the fatigueof the work

   • 8CE,Ovid,Fasti6.384–385:

     et mediae tempora noctis erant, iam ducibus somnum dederatlabor

     It was midnight, and by now theirfatiguehad given the leaders sleep.

5. illness

   Synonyms:aegritūdō,morbus,malum,pestis,incommodum,valētūdō,infirmitas

   Antonyms:salūs,valētūdō

6. the pain accompanying childbirth,labor

Declension

Third-declensionnoun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	labor	labōrēs
Genitive	labōris	labōrum
Dative	labōrī	labōribus
Accusative	labōrem	labōrēs
Ablative	labōre	labōribus
Vocative	labor	labōrēs

Derived terms

• labōrō
• ēlabōrō

Descendants

• Asturian:llabor
• Catalan:llavor,labor
• Esperanto:laboro
• Friulian:lavôr
• Galician:labor
• Ido:laboro
• Istriot:lavur
• Italian:lavoro
• Ladin:lëur
• →Old French:labor
  • English:labor,labour
  • French:labeur
• Portuguese:lavor,→labor
• →Romanian:laboare
• Romansch:lavur
• Sicilian:lavuri
• Spanish:labor
• Venetan:łavóro,laóro
• Welsh:llafur

Etymology 2

Perhaps fromProto-Indo-European*(s)leh₂b-(“to hang loosely, be weak”),and cognate withlabō,Englishsleep,Proto-Slavic*slàbъ(“weak”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin)IPA^(key):/ˈlaː.bor/,[ˈɫ̪äːbɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)IPA^(key):/ˈla.bor/,[ˈläːbor]

Verb

lābor(present infinitivelābī,perfect activelāpsussum);third conjugation,deponent

2. toslip,slide,glide
3. tofall,sink down
4. toslip,stumble
5. tovanish,passaway,elapse,escape

   Synonyms:fugiō,effugiō,ēvādō,refugiō,cōnfugiō,diffugiō,aufugiō,prōfugiō,āvolō,ēripiō,ēlābor

   • 8CE,Ovid,Fasti6.771–772:

     Temporalābuntur,tacitīsque senēscimus annīs,
     et fugiunt frēnō nōn remorante diēs.

     Timespass away,and with years unnoticed we grow old, and days flee with no bridle holding [them] back.

7. to be mistaken,be wrong,err,commit a fault

   Synonyms:dēlinquō,errō,committō,offendō

Conjugation

This verb takes the future passive participlelābundusinstead of*lābendus.

Conjugation oflābor(third conjugation,deponent)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	lābor	lāberis, lābere	lābitur	lābimur	lābiminī	lābuntur
	imperfect	lābēbar	lābēbāris, lābēbāre	lābēbātur	lābēbāmur	lābēbāminī	lābēbantur
	future	lābar	lābēris, lābēre	lābētur	lābēmur	lābēminī	lābentur
	perfect	lāpsus+ present active indicative ofsum
	pluperfect	lāpsus+ imperfect active indicative ofsum
	future perfect	lāpsus+ future active indicative ofsum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	lābar	lābāris, lābāre	lābātur	lābāmur	lābāminī	lābantur
	imperfect	lāberer	lāberēris, lāberēre	lāberētur	lāberēmur	lāberēminī	lāberentur
	perfect	lāpsus+ present active subjunctive ofsum
	pluperfect	lāpsus+ imperfect active subjunctive ofsum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	lābere	—	—	lābiminī	—
	future	—	lābitor	lābitor	—	—	lābuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		lābī	lāpsumesse	lāpsūrumesse	—	—	—
participles		lābēns	lāpsus	lāpsūrus	—	—	lābendus, lābundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		lābendī	lābendō	lābendum	lābendō	lāpsum	lāpsū

Derived terms

• collābor
• dīlābor
• ēlābor
• illābor
• interlābor
• lābēs
• lābilis
• lābīna
• lābundus
• lapsō
• lāpsus
• relābor
• subterlābor

Descendants

• English:lapse

References

• “labor”,inCharlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879)A Latin Dictionary,Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “labor”,inCharlton T. Lewis (1891)An Elementary Latin Dictionary,New York: Harper & Brothers
• laborin Charles du Fresne du Cange’sGlossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis(augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894)Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1],London:Macmillan and Co.
  • to exert oneself very energetically in a matter:multum operae ac laboris consumere in aliqua re
    
  • the matter involves much labour and fatigue:res est multi laboris et sudoris
    
  • to spare no pains:labori, operae non parcere
    
  • not to leave off work for an instant:nullum tempus a labore intermittere
    
  • to spare oneself the trouble of the voyage:labore supersedēre (itineris)(Fam. 4. 2. 4)
    
  • capable of exertion:patiens laboris
    
  • lazy:fugiens laboris
    
  • to take a false step:per errorem labi,or simplylabi
    
  • to make a slip of the memory:memoriā labi
    
  • to make a mistake in writing:labi in scribendo
    
  • immorality is daily gaining ground:mores in dies magis labuntur(also withad,e.g.ad mollitiem)
    
  • (ambiguous)to drain the cup of sorrow:omnes labores exanclare
    
  • (ambiguous)rest after toil is sweet:acti labores iucundi(proverb.)
    
• laborinRamminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed))Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2],pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Anagrams

• albor,labrō

Spanish

Etymology

BorrowedfromLatinlabōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/laˈboɾ/[laˈβ̞oɾ]
• Rhymes:-oɾ
• Syllabification:la‧bor

Noun

laborf(plurallabores)

1. labor
2. job,task,chore

   Synonyms:tarea,quehacer

3. work,effort

   Synonyms:trabajo,obra

4. needlework,embroidery

   Synonyms:costura,bordado

Derived terms

• estar por la labor

Related terms

• laboral
• laborar
• laborioso
• labrar

Further reading

• “labor”,inDiccionario de la lengua española[Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition,Royal Spanish Academy,2014 October 16