toil

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   productive work, especially physical work done for wages

   The toil was worth it – I finally had enough money for a vacation.

2. 2
   noun

   Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.

   […] he set to work again and made the snow fly in all directions around him. After some further toil his efforts were rewarded, and a very shabby door-mat lay exposed to view.

3. 3
   noun

   A net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey.

   Then toils for beasts, and lime for birds, were found.

4. 4
   verb

   To work (something); often with out.

   places well toiled and husbanded

5. 5
   verb

   To weary through excessive labour.

   toiled with works of war

6. 6
   verb

   work hard

7. 7
   noun

   Trouble, strife.

8. 8
   verb

   To labour; work.

Etymology

From Middle English toilen, toylen, apparently a conflation of Anglo-Norman toiller (“to agitate, stir up, entangle”) (compare Old Northern French tooillier, tooullier (“to agitate, stir”); of unknown origin), and Middle English tilyen, telien, teolien, tolen, tolien, tulien (“to till, work, labour”), from Old English tilian, telian, teolian, tiolian (“to exert oneself, toil, work, make, generate, strive after, try, endeavor, procure, obtain, gain, provide, tend, cherish, cultivate, till, plough, trade, traffic, aim at, aspire to, treat, cure”) (compare Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to till, w…