Forms: α. 3–5 trauaille, 3–7 -aile, (4– -alle), 4–6 -aill, -ayle, -ayll(e, -ale, -all, 4–7 -ail, 6 -al. 4–5 travaylle, 4–6 -aille, 4–7 -ayle, -aile, 5 -ale, 5–6 -aill, 5– travail; 4–5 Sc. trawayll, -ale, 5 -aill. β. 4–5 traueil(e, -eyll(e, 4–6 -eyle, -ele, 5–7 -elle, -el, 6–7 -ell; 4–7 travele, 5 -eylle, 5–6 -eille, -eyl(e, 5–7 -ell, 5–9 travel. [ME. travaill-en, -vaylle, -vaile, -veyle, -veile, etc. (usually with u, or Sc. w, for v), a. OF. travaillier, -vailler, -veillier, -veiller, mod.F. travailler = Prov. trebalhar (also Pg. trabalhar, Sp. trabajar, It. travagliare); held by Romanic scholars generally to represent a late pop.L. or Com. Rom. *trepāliāre, deriv. of trepālium (A.D. 582 in Du Cange), an instrument or engine of torture (prob. f. L. trēs, tria three + pālus stake, being so named from its structure). The etymological sense was thus ‘to put to torture, torment,’ passing at an early stage into those of ‘afflict, vex, trouble, harass, weary.’ Through the refl. sense ‘to trouble, afflict, or weary oneself,’ came the intrans. ‘to toil, work hard, labour.’ Thence also (as is generally thought) the verbal sbs. OF. travail m. and travaille f., ME. travail, -aile: see TRAVAIL sb.1
The sense-development has not followed the same course in French and in English. Thus English has not developed the simple sense ‘work,’ for which the OE. word has lived on. On the other hand, French has not evolved the sense ‘journey’ = F. voyager, which appeared early in Anglo-Fr., and has become the main sense in English, and is differentiated by the spelling TRAVEL, while the more original senses, so far as they continue in use, retain the earlier spelling travail.]
I. 1. trans. To torment, distress, harass, afflict, vex, trouble; to weary, tire. Obs. or arch.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 6035. Þe fende yn-to hym was lope, And traueyled hym þre dayys with pyne.
1382. Wyclif, Deut. viii. 16. After that he trauelde thee and strengthide [1388 turmentid thee, and preuede], at the eende he hadde mercy of thee.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), IV. 473. Preostes schulde be worshipped to fore oþer men, and nouȝt i-travalled and i-greeved.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 192 b/1. They were wery and sore traueyled by the waye which was longe. Ibid. (c. 1489), Sonnes of Aymon, iii. 70. For their strengthe, they trayueylle us moche.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 252. He came thether in such haste, that hys horse and men were sore traueyled.
1627. Lisander & Cal., III. 39. Apt words to expresse the griefes, wherwith … we begin to be travelled.
1695. Ld. Preston, Boeth., Pref. 11. We are travelled with Uneasiness and Inquietude amidst our largest Enjoyments.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., iv. I jalouse he wad hae liked to hae ridden by, but his horse … was ower sair travailed.
1832. [see TRAVAILED 1].
† b. refl. To put oneself to trouble, to weary or exert oneself, to labor or work hard: = Fr. se travailler, passing into the intr. sense 2. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 22775 (Edin.). Þai … trauaild [v.rr. -ailled, -alid, -ailed] þaim on al wis To paien him in his seruis.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., III. pr. xi. 76 (Camb. MS.). Euery beest trauaylith hym to deffende and kepe the sauacion of hys lyf.
1556. Aurelio & Isab. (1608), 19. Whoo lovethe not, traveillethe not him selfe.
1581. Pettie, Guazzo’s Civ. Conv., II. (1586), 99. To exercise and trauaile himselfe in gouerning his subiects with iustice.
† c. trans. To put to work, cause to work; to exert, employ, bring into action. Obs.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 16. And if he wolde have holde him stille And nothing spoke, he scholde have failed: Bot for be hath his word travailed And dorste speke, his love he spedde.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. (1586), 118 b. To trauell them [mares] moderately, will doe them rather good then harme.
1596. Danett, trans. Comines (1614), 328. The poore man that trauelleth and toileth his body to get foode.
1610. Fletcher, Faithf. Sheph., V. i. Let the floud … give remedy To greedy thirst, and travel not the tree That hangs with wanton clusters.
1630. Earl of Cork, in Lismore Papers (1888), Ser. II. III. 163. I haue with all affectionate zeale traveled my thoughts and stirred vp my best observacions [etc.].
† d. To shake, stir, ‘work’ (a thing) about.
c. 1440. Pallad. on Husb., XI. 403. Seuen curnels of a pynappul do In oon sester of wyn that is impure And trauayle hit a tyme to and fro And aftir suffre hit to reste go.
c. 1440. Anc. Cookery, in Househ. Ord. (1790), 455. Alway travaile hit wel over the fyre.
† e. trans. To labor at, to perform (some work, duty, or service). Obs. rare–1.
1569. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 673. The Precheouris and utheris travelling the charge of ministerie within the kirk.
2. intr. (for refl.; cf. 1 b). To exert oneself, labor, toil, work hard, arch.
c. 1250. O. Kent. Serm., in O. E. Misc., 34. Þos laste on ure habbeþ i-trauailed.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 10408. Y prey þe … To trauayle so moche for me.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 549. Þenne þe fyrst bygonne to pleny & sayden þat þay hade travayled sore.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., lxx. As Tantalus I trauaile ay but-les.
1484. Caxton, Fables of Æsop, VI. xvii. Who trauaylleth wel, he hath euer brede ynough for to ete.
1577. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., 13 b. That he be not … vnable to trauayle for age.
1615. W. Lawson, Orch. & Gard. (1623), 2. Such a Gardner as will conscionably, quietly and patiently, trauell in your Orchard.
1618. Raleigh, Rem. (1657), 101. The poor Tenants that travell to pay their Rents, and are driven to poverty by mischance, and not by riot or carelesse expences.
1878. B. Taylor, Deukalion, I. ii. 22. I travail for my children.
fig. 1883. Stevenson, Silverado Sq., v. (1886), 76. Even in its gentlest moods the salt sea travails, moaning among the weeds or lisping on the sand.
b. Const. about, for, in (some matter), to do something. arch.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 82/29. Ȝwat neode is it for to trauailli ferrore me to lede? Ibid., 350/161. Þou trauailest, he seide, a-boute nouȝt.
a. 1325. Prose Psalter, xlviii[i]. 8. For þe pris of his raunsoun he shal trauail wyþ-outen ende.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IX. 165. Thai had no-thing for to et, Bot gif thai traualit it to get.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), ix. 33. Þis folk … trauailez noȝt aboute tillyng of land.
c. 1489. Caxton, Blanchardyn, vi. 26. In vayne he traueylled for to require her from him.
1559. Bp. Scot, in Strype, Ann. Ref. (1709), I. App. vii. 18. I shall nede to travell in provinge of the same.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 240. He wyll sende Ambassadours, whiche shall trauell for peace.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus i. 7. (1619), 158. Trauell not too much to be rich.
1678. Wanley, Wond. Lit. World, V. i. § 93. 467/2. He travelled exceedingly for establishing the Peace of Christendom.
1704. Swift, T. Tub, Introd. I have been prevailed on … to travel in a compleat and laborious dissertation.
1897. W. Beatty, Secretar, xxv. 213. Gif the meenisters uprightly travelled to punish vice.
† c. To work as a student, to study (in a subject or author). Obs.
1551–1742. [see TRAVAILED 2].
1570. T. Wilson, Demosthenes, Ded. 2. Maister Cheeke, hauing traueyled in Demosthenes as much as any one of them all.
3. Of a woman: To suffer the pains of childbirth; to be in labor. Also fig.
a. 1300. [see TRAVAILING vbl. sb.].
1388. Wyclif, Rom. viii. 22. And we witen, that ech creature sorewith, and trauelith with peyne [1382 childith] til ȝit.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VIII. i. 273. She byganne to trauaille fast of her child.
1565. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 396. The Countes of Buchane, quha than wes travelland with chyld.
1634. Sir. T. Herbert, Trav., 14. Flowres which only Dame Nature trauels with.
1658. T. Wall, God’s Revenge agst. Enemies Ch., 56. Travelling with the pangs of a false zeal, they fall in labour of a monstrous Reformation.
1730. T. Boston, Mem., App. 28. I have long travailed in pain about it.
1827. Scott, Surg. Dau., viii. Her son, for whom she had travailed and sorrowed.
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 455. God’s word … contains its own fulfilment in itself, and travaileth until it come to pass.
† 4. Of a ship: To ‘labor,’ to roll or pitch heavily and right itself with difficulty. Obs. rare.
c. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, ix. 34. Þi haly kirke … trauailand as a ship in gret stormes.
1390. Gower, Conf., III. 296. The yonge king makth mochel wo So forto se the Schip travaile.
II. † 5. To journey, etc.: see TRAVEL v., under which spelling these senses are now differentiated from the preceding.
