From Middle English toilen, toylen, apparently a conflation of Anglo-Norman toiller (“to agitate, stir up, entangle”) (compare Old Northern French tooillier, tooullier (“to agitate, stir”); of unknown origin), and Middle English tilyen, telien, teolien, tolen, tolien, tulien (“to till, work, labour”), from Old English tilian, telian, teolian, tiolian (“to exert oneself, toil, work, make, generate, strive after, try, endeavor, procure, obtain, gain, provide, tend, cherish, cultivate, till, plough, trade, traffic, aim at, aspire to, treat, cure”) (compare Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to till, work, labour”)), from Proto-Germanic *tilōną (“to strive, reach for, aim for, hurry”). Cognate with Scots tulyie (“to quarrel, flite, contend”).
An alternate etymology derives Middle English toilen, toylen directly from Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to work, labour, till”), from tuyl ("agriculture, labour, toil"; > Modern Dutch tuil (“toil; work”)). Cognate with Old Frisian teula (“to labour, toil”), teule (“labour, work”), Dutch tuil (“toil, labour”). Compare also Dutch telen (“to grow; raise; cultivate, till”). More at till.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
[…] he set to work again and made the snow fly in all directions around him. After some further toil his efforts were rewarded, and a very shabby door-mat lay exposed to view. 1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows:
(countable, uncountable) Trouble, strife.
(countable, plural-normally, uncountable) A net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey.
She had waited overlong, and now it was like that Ailie would escape her toils. 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
That I was going to sit still, and let you sulk, while mademoiselle walked blindfold into the toils? 1893, Stanley J. Weyman, “XIX. Men call it chance”, in A Gentleman of France:
I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils, destroying the objects that obstructed me and ranging through the wood with a stag-like swiftness. 1823, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein:
Then toils for beasts, and lime for birds, were found. 1697, Virgil, translated by John Dryden, Georgics:
From Middle English toilen, toylen, apparently a conflation of Anglo-Norman toiller (“to agitate, stir up, entangle”) (compare Old Northern French tooillier, tooullier (“to agitate, stir”); of unknown origin), and Middle English tilyen, telien, teolien, tolen, tolien, tulien (“to till, work, labour”), from Old English tilian, telian, teolian, tiolian (“to exert oneself, toil, work, make, generate, strive after, try, endeavor, procure, obtain, gain, provide, tend, cherish, cultivate, till, plough, trade, traffic, aim at, aspire to, treat, cure”) (compare Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to till, work, labour”)), from Proto-Germanic *tilōną (“to strive, reach for, aim for, hurry”). Cognate with Scots tulyie (“to quarrel, flite, contend”).
An alternate etymology derives Middle English toilen, toylen directly from Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to work, labour, till”), from tuyl ("agriculture, labour, toil"; > Modern Dutch tuil (“toil; work”)). Cognate with Old Frisian teula (“to labour, toil”), teule (“labour, work”), Dutch tuil (“toil, labour”). Compare also Dutch telen (“to grow; raise; cultivate, till”). More at till.
Meanings
(intransitive) To labour; work.
(intransitive) To struggle.
(transitive) To work (something); often with out.
places well toiled and husbanded 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
[I] toiled out my uncouth passage. 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
(transitive) To weary through excessive labour.
toiled with works of war 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
it faticare (to labour, to work) · es afanar (to labour, to work) · de schuften (to labour, to work) · it lavorare (to labour, to work) · bg трудя се (to labour, to work) · es ajetrearse (to labour, to work) · bg трепя се (to labour, to work) · es azacanear (to labour, to work) · de sich plagen (to labour, to work) · te కష్టించు (to labour, to work) · nl zwoegen (to labour, to work) · mi whakarīrā (to labour, to work) · es yugar (to labour, to work) · pt ralar (to labour, to work) · sv knoga (to labour, to work) · tr didinmek (to labour, to work) · got 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to labour, to work) · de roboten (to labour, to work) · ru труди́ться (to labour, to work) · ar تَعِبَ (to labour, to work) · ta பாடுபடு (to labour, to work) · nl labeuren (to labour, to work) · uk труди́тися (to labour, to work) · nl werken (to labour, to work) · te కష్టపడు (to labour, to work) · fi rehkiä (to labour, to work) · grc μοχθέω (to labour, to work) · af bakstaan (to labour, to work) · ar كَدَحَ (to labour, to work) · fi raataa (to labour, to work) · ru вка́лывать (to labour, to work) · sv slita (to labour, to work) · grc κοπιάω (to labour, to work) · de sich quälen (to labour, to work) · es azacanarse (to labour, to work) · arz شقي (to labour, to work) · es yuguear (to labour, to work) · es chapar (to labour, to work) · ta உழை (to labour, to work) · es afanarse (to labour, to work) · sv streta (to labour, to work) · grc μογέω (to labour, to work) · grc πονέω (to labour, to work) · cmn 辛勞 /辛劳 (to labour, to work) · es pencar (to labour, to work) · fr travailler (to labour, to work) · es apencar (to labour, to work) · el κοπιάζω (to labour, to work) · ar كَدَ (to labour, to work) · es deslomarse (to labour, to work) · cs dřít (to labour, to work) · io laboregar (to labour, to work)