Where does “travail” come from?
travail (English) comes from Middle English travail, from Old French travail, from Old French travailler, from Vulgar Latin tripaliare, from Latin tripalium, from Latin tripālis, from Latin -ium, from Latin -ius — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
travail (English): Arduous or painful exertion; excessive labor,...
Definitions
- Arduous or painful exertion; excessive labor,...
Ancestry of “travail”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | travail | — |
| 2 | Old French | travail | suffering, torment |
| 3 | Old French | travailler | Alternative form of traveillier; to suffer; to... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | tripaliare | to work; present active infinitive of *tripaliō |
| 5 | Latin | tripalium | torture instrument; a torture instrument |
| 6 | Latin | tripālis | that has, or is prop up by, three stake or pale |
| 7 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 8 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |