Etymology Inherited from Middle English travail, borrowed from Old French travail (“suffering, torment”), deverbal from travailler, from Vulgar Latin *tripāliāre (“to torment”), from Latin tripālium (“torture device”) + -āre (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of travel and travois.
1
Literary Arduous or painful exertion; excessive labor, suffering, hardship.
Great trauail is created to al men, and an heauie yoke vpon the children of Adam, from the day of their comming forth of their mothers wombe, vntil the day of their burying, into the mother of al. […]1582 – 1610, Douay Rheims Bible, Book of Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Sirach) XL.1–11
But as every thing of price, so this doth require travail.1597, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, Book V, §21:
4 more examples
Travell and pleasure, most unlike in nature, are notwithstanding followed together by a kind of I wot not what natural conjunction[…].1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 20, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
But I know that to-day there are great questions calling for an answer, wrongs clamoring to be righted, a people in travail that pleads for ease!1919, Stanley J. Weyman, “XIII Peter Pauper”, in The Great House:
He had thought of making a destiny for himself, through laborious and untiring travail.1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber, published 2007, page 38:
"Machine Madness" details the travails Rocko endures as he gets sucked into an infomercial and tries to find the perfect mail-order vacuum-cleaner, attempts to return from the laundromat with all of his socks, and finds creative ways to take out the garbage.1995, Catherine Applefeld, “Video Previews”, in Billboard, volume 107, number 2, page 51:
2
Specifically, the labor of childbirth.
The lady shrieks and, well-a-near, Does fall in travail with her fear.c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act III, scene chorus]:
And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first,1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 38:27–28:
3
Obsolete An act of working; labor (US), labour (British).
Etymology From Middle English travailen, from Old French travailler, from the noun (see above). Doublet of travel. Displaced native Middle English swinken (“to work”) (from Old English swincan (“to labour, to toil, to work at”)).
1
To toil.
[A]ll slothful persons, which will not travail for their livings, do the will of the devil.1552, Hugh Latimer, Fourth Sermon on the Lord's Prayer, Preached before Lady Katherine, Duchess of Suffolk:
The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 15:20:
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Other poet travailing in this plain high-way of paſtoral know I none.1714, J[ohn] Gay, “The Proeme to the Courteous Reader”, in The Shepherd’s Week. In Six Pastorals, London: […] R. Burleigh […], →OCLC:
2
To go through the labor of childbirth.
A woman when she traveyleth hath sorowe, be cause her houre is come: but as sone as she is delivered off her chylde she remembreth no moare her anguysshe, for ioye that a man is borne in to the worlde.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, John:
And they iourneyed from Bethel: and there was but a litle way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel traueiled, and she had hard labour.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 35:16: