† praelabourn.
Obsolete. rare.
Difficult or laborious work, great exertion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [noun] > labour or toil
workeOE
i-swincheOE
swenchOE
swote971
swingc1000
swinkOE
swinkinga1225
travailc1275
cark1330
sweatc1380
the sweat of (one's) brow (brows), facec1380
laboura1382
swengc1400
labouragec1470
toil1495
laborationa1500
tug1504
urea1510
carp1548
turmoil1569
moil1612
praelabour1663
fatigue1669
insudation1669
till?a1800
Kaffir work1848
graft1853
workfulness1854
collar-work1871
yakka1888
swot1899
heavy lifting1934
1663 J. Mayne tr. Lucian Part of Lucian sig. Dd1 For these prælabours [Gk. προπονῆσαι], and Toyles, do not destroy the courage, but encrease, and enlarge it by provocation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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n.1663