travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering. toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

Understanding the Context

grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. Noun A day's labor should get the job done. Getting the job done will require many hours of difficult labor. He rested from his labors.

Key Insights

Despite the inefficiency, labor services could have survived under previous regimes because of path-dependence. In short, technical change in lowland areas has significantly increased demand for labor on lowland farms. Farming has been mechanized, reducing the need for labor. The older generation were bent double from decades of labor in the fields. Society is challenging the traditional sexual division of labor.

Final Thoughts

There has been some increase in the use of casual labor over recent years. We'll invoice you for parts and labor. Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting; work. See Synonyms at work. 2. A specific task or effort, especially a painful or arduous one: "Eating the bread was a labor I put myself through to quiet my stomach" (Gail Anderson-Dargatz).

3. A particular form of work or method of working: manual labor. 4. Labor refers to mental or physical work, especially that which is hard or fatiguing.