Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Labor in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels labor as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913noun
Labor

[OE. labour, OF. labour, laber, labur, F. labeur, L. labor; cf. Gr. lamba`nein to take, Skr. labh to get, seize.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordlabor
Part of speechnoun
Historical etymology[OE. labour, OF. labour, laber, labur, F. labeur, L. labor; cf. Gr. lamba`nein to take, Skr. labh to get, seize.]
Selected historical definitionPhysical toil or bodily exertion, especially when fatiguing, irksome, or unavoidable, in distinction from sportive exercise; hard, muscular effort directed to some useful end, as agriculture, manufactures, and like; servile toil; exertion; work.
Signed record IDwebster1913-labor-noun-91a1e2dc6632
Source locatorCIDE.L, paragraph 80; Gutenberg eBook 664
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 664Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "labor" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[OE. labour, OF. labour, laber, labur, F. labeur, L. labor; cf. Gr. lamba`nein to take, Skr. labh to get, seize.]" The selected historical definition says: "Physical toil or bodily exertion, especially when fatiguing, irksome, or unavoidable, in distinction from sportive exercise; hard, muscular effort directed to some useful end, as agriculture, manufactures, and like; servile toil; exertion; work."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-10-04

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

More released L records

Every card owns a different source record and historical sense.

adjective

Last

[OE. last, latst, contr. of latest, superl. of late; akin to OS. lezt, lazt, last, D. laatst, G. letzt. See Late, and cf. Latest.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Live

[Abbreviated from alive. See Alive, Life.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Local

[L. localis, fr. locus place: cf. F. local. See Lieu, Locus.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Large

[F., fr. L. largus. Cf. Largo.]

Webster 1913 exact recordadjective

Lost

[Prop. p. p. of OE. losien. See Lose, v. t.]

Webster 1913 exact record

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