laboro

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɫaˈboː.roː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [laˈbɔː.ro]^[1]

Forms

labōrō (present infinitive labōrāre, perfect active labōrāvī, supine labōrātum); first conjugation, third person-only in the passive^[1]

Etymology

It is from labor “toil” with the verbal suffix -ō.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citations are from Plautus, of physical toil and of anxiety.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to perform physical work, toil, as Cicero's ploughmen who work for themselves, and to exert oneself, take pains, as in Terence's nē labōrā “don't trouble yourself”.^[2][5][6] It meant to be under strain, of troops hard pressed in battle, as in Caesar, of ships in a storm, of the moon in eclipse, and of plants.^[2] It meant to be in trouble, to suffer from a defect, to be ill, as in Cicero, and to be anxious, as in Plautus.^[2] Transitively it meant to work at something, as in Virgil.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to labour, toil, be wearied.^[7] It survives in Italian lavorare “to work” and French labourer “to plough”.^[1] Through Old French laborer it is the source of English labour as a verb in the late 14th century, and English laboratory comes from Medieval Latin labōrātōrium.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of toil and anxiety.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of ploughmen and of illness.^[2][6][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of troops hard pressed.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English labour (verb) is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To work, toil, labour.^[2]
2. To exert oneself, take pains.^[2]
3. To be hard pressed; to be in distress.^[2]
4. To suffer (from); to be ill.^[2]
5. To be anxious.^[2]
6. (transitive) To work at.^[2]

Word family

• allabōrō
• collabōrō
• dēlabōrō
• ēlabōrō
• illabōrō
• labōrātiō
• labōrātor

Related words

• labor
• labōriōsus
• English labour
• English laboratory

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson