Labor (birth)
Preparing for or laying the groundwork for a new beginning, a new creation, the start of something new, or a new phase in life, relationship, career, etc.
Dictionary definition
- n. 1: a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages; "there is a shortage of skilled labor in this field" [syn: labor, labour, working class, proletariat]
- 2: productive work (especially physical work done for wages); "his labor did not require a great deal of skill" [syn: labor, labour, toil]
- 3: concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child; "she was in labor for six hours" [syn: parturiency, labor, labour, confinement, lying-in, travail, childbed]
- 4: an organized attempt by workers to improve their status by united action (particularly via labor unions) or the leaders of this movement [syn: labor movement, trade union movement, labor]
- 5: a political party formed in Great Britain in 1900; characterized by the promotion of labor's interests and formerly the socialization of key industries [syn: British Labour Party, Labour Party, Labour, Labor]
- 6: the federal department responsible for promoting the working conditions of wage earners in the United States; created in 1913 [syn: Department of Labor, Labor Department, Labor, DoL]
- 7: any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted; "he prepared for great undertakings" [syn: undertaking, project, task, labor]
- v. 1: strive and make an effort to reach a goal; "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis" [syn: tug, labor, labour, push, drive]
- 2: work hard; "She was digging away at her math homework"; "Lexicographers drudge all day long" [syn: labor, labour, toil, fag, travail, grind, drudge, dig, moil]
- 3: undergo the efforts of childbirth [syn: labor, labour]