Dictionary

labor of love en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Calque of Koine Greek κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης (kópou tês agápēs), from the New Testament epistles 1 Thessalonians and Hebrews

Meanings

1. (US, idiomatic) A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement or practical benefit; an altruistic work or undertaking; an action or hobby performed purely out of an inner desire to do so.
   • Here, indeed, at length, must the Editor give utterance to a painful suspicion, which, through late Chapters, has begun to haunt him; paralyzing any little enthusiasm that might still have rendered his thorny Biographical task a labor of love. 1831, Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
   • It was amazing how near she had come to fitting him. "You ought to feel flattered," said she. "Only a labor of love could have turned out so well." a. 1911, David Graham Phillips, Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise:
   • The Spanish musician on why (and how) she pushed herself to make “Lux,” a labor of love exploring the feminine divine and the brutalities of romance. 2025 October 30, Joe Coscarelli, Jon Caramanica, “Rosalía’s Thrilling New Avant-Pop Swerve: Singing in 13 Languages”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • "Alex," said the Colonel, "what a painstaking and delicate task it will be, under that law, to write your obituary." "There will be great risk in writing yours, Colonel," said Alex; "but it will be a labor of love, nevertheless; a labor of love, Colonel." 1891, Charles Carroll Goodwin, The Comstock Club:
   • It takes a lot of work to be a dungeon master. As the person in charge of a tabletop role-playing game — even informally among friends — you’re responsible for buying all the rulebooks, drawing up the maps, performing all the ancillary characters, and making sure your friends show up on time for each session. It’s a labor of love; a successful Dungeons & Dragons campaign often feels like a second job. 2021 July 9, Luke Winkie, How a professional dungeon master keeps his games fun:

Forms

Translations (5)

cmn 用爱发电 (task performed without expectation of reimbursement) · fi hyväntekeväisyys (task performed without expectation of reimbursement) · cmn 义务劳动 (task performed without expectation of reimbursement) · sv kärleksverk (task performed without expectation of reimbursement) · de Liebhaberei (task performed without expectation of reimbursement)

wikipedia: Hebrews 6