intransitive verb

1. to work hard and continuously; labor
2. to proceed laboriously; advance or move with painful effort or difficulty to toil up a mountain

Etymology: ME toilen < Anglo-Fr toiler, to strive, dispute < OFr toeillier, to pull about, begrime < L tudiculare, to stir about < tudicula, small machine for bruising olives < tudes, mallet < base of tundere, to beat < IE base *(s)teu- > stock, stub

transitive verb

noun

1. Archaic contention; struggle; strife
2. hard, exhausting work or effort; tiring labor
3. a task performed by such effort

Etymology: ME toile < Anglo-Fr toil < OFr toeil, turmoil, struggle < the v.

noun

1. Archaic a net for trapping
2. any snare suggestive of a net

Etymology: OFr toile, a net, web, cloth < L tela, web, woven material < base of texere: see text