Main Entry: throe

Pronunciation: \ˈthrō\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English thrawe, throwe, from Old English thrawu, thrēa threat, pang; akin to Old High German drawa threat

Date: 13th century

1 : pang, spasm <death throes> <throes of childbirth>
2 plural : a hard or painful struggle <the throes of revolutionary social change — M. D. Geismar>