Etymologists are pretty certain that travail comes from trepalium, the Late Latin name of an instrument of torture. We don't know exactly what a trepalium looked like, but the word's history gives us an idea. Trepalium is derived from the Latin tripalis, which means "having three stakes" (from tri-, meaning "three," and palus, meaning "stake"). From trepalium sprang the Anglo-French verb travailler, which originally meant "to torment" but eventually acquired the milder senses "to trouble" and "to journey." The Anglo-French noun travail was borrowed into English in the 13th century, along with another descendant of travailler, travel.
Noun
They finally succeeded after many months of travail.
no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child Verb
Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In her new novel, Intermezzo, Sally Rooney moves past the travails of youth into the torments of mortality.—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024 Looking Elsewhere As the focus for Japanese companies shifts elsewhere in Asia and beyond, the travails of China’s economy are taking much of the blame as well.—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2024
Verb
Clap back:DeSantis criticizes 'daily drama' of Trump's leadership style, ratcheting up growing tensions Trump travails:Is Donald Trump being arrested?—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for travail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'travail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from travailler to torment, labor, journey, from Vulgar Latin *trepaliare to torture, from Late Latin trepalium instrument of torture, from Latin tripalis having three stakes, from tri- + palus stake — more at pole
Middle English travail "hard labor," from early French travail (same meaning), from travailler (verb) "to torment, labor" — related to travel see Word History at travel
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