See Also: toil(1)(dictionary)
toil(2)(dictionary)
toil(3)(dictionary)
toil(4)(dictionary)
toil 1, verb(dictionary)
toil 2, noun(dictionary)

toil(1) (iou)



toil noun1. ME.
[Anglo-Norman = Old French tooil, touil, tueil bloody melee, trouble, confusion, from tooillier TOIL verb1.]
1. In pl. & sing. Battle, strife, melee, turmoil. Formerly also, verbal contention, dispute, controversy. arch. ME.
Longfellow Weapons, made For the hard toils of war.
2. a. Intensive labour; hard or prolonged exertion which is physically or mentally taxing. M16.
J. Herbert His body flagged with the very toil of breathing.
b. The result of toil; something produced or accomplished by hard or prolonged exertion. rare. E18.
3. A struggle; a spell of intensive physical or mental labour; a laborious task or operation. arch. L16.
C. Kingsley Many a toil must we bear ere we find it.
Comb.: toil-worn adjective worn or worn out by toil.
toilful adjective (arch.) (a) labouring; hard-working; (b) involving toil or hard work, toilsome: L16.
toilfully adverb M19.
toilless [-l-l-] adjective (rare) (a) not entailing toil; (b) free from toil; that acts without exertion: E17.