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Definition of travail noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

travail

noun
 
/ˈtræveɪl/,
 
/trəˈveɪl/
 
/ˈtræveɪl/,
 
/trəˈveɪl/
[uncountable, plural] (old use or literary)
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  1. an unpleasant experience or situation that involves a lot of hard work, difficulties and/or pain
    • the travails of life in post-war Britain
    Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from medieval Latin trepalium ‘instrument of torture’, from Latin tres ‘three’ + palus ‘stake’.
See travail in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: travail

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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