English
laborious
Laborious comes from Latin laboriosus ‘laborious, toilsome, demanding’, from labor ‘work, exertion’, and ultimately from Old Latin labōs.
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCElabōsearlier origin unknown
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElabor‘work, exertion’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElaboriosus‘laborious, toilsome, demanding’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400laborios
- Englishearliest quotation 1697laborious
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCElabōsearlier origin unknown
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElabor‘work, exertion’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElaboriosus‘laborious, toilsome, demanding’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400laborios
- Englishearliest quotation 1697laborious
Earliest quotation: 1697, Virgil, The Fourth Book of the Georgics: “All, with united Force, combine to drive / The…”
Linked words
through Latin labor ‘work, exertion’
collapse, labour, laboratory, collaboration, lava, elaborate, lapse, labile, 10 more
Today it means
adj Requiring much physical effort; toilsome.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old Latin labōs / laborious