Definition of: labor

(la′bər) noun
1. Physical or mental exertion, particularly for some useful or desired end; toil; work.
2. That which requires exertion or effort; a task.
3. The working class collectively.
4. Parturition; travail.
5. Any stress or difficulty.
6. Naut. Heavy rolling and pitching of a vessel.
—Department of Labor An executive department of the U. S. government, since 1913 (from 1903 to 1913 part of the Department of Commerce and Labor) headed by the Secretary of Labor and charged with matters pertaining to the welfare of wage earners, especially in regard to wages, working conditions, and opportunities for employment. Also Labor Department. See synonyms under BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, TASK, TOIL¹, WORK.
—v.i.
1. To do work; toil; strive to accomplish a work or purpose.
2. To move with difficulty or painful exertion.
3. To roll or pitch, as a ship in a heavy sea.
4. To be hindered, burdened, or oppressed: to labor under a misapprehension.
5. To suffer the pains of childbirth; be in travail.
—v.t.
6. To work at laboriously; develop in great detail: to labor a point.
7. Archaic or Poetic To till; cultivate. Also, Brit., labour. [<OF labor, labour <L labor, -oris toil, distress]