labor

From Old Latin labōs, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European root *leb- (“to seize, take”), whence Sanskrit लभते (labhate, “take, gain”) and Lithuanian lõbis (“wealth”). More commonly connected with labō (“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.

Alternative forms

• labōs

Pronunciation

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

Noun

labor m (genitive labōris); third declension

1. work
2. labor, toil, exertion [ synonyms ▲][ quotations ▼]

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

3. (chiefly poetic) hardship, trouble, fatigue, suffering, drudgery, distress [ quotations ▼]
4. illness [ synonyms, antonyms ▲]

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

   Antonyms: salūs, valētūdō

5. the pain accompanying childbirth, labor

Declension

Third-declension noun.

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