Entry Word: labor

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work <one of the labors of Hercules in classical mythology was to clean out the stables of King Augeas> — see chore 2
2 the active use of energy in producing a result <much labor went into designing and building the pyramids of Egypt> — see effort
3 very hard or unpleasant work <he was forced to do six months of hard labor in the mines as punishment> — see toil
4 the act or process of giving birth to children <the motherʼs labor lasted for six hours> — see childbirth