LOGOI

The corpus record — Latin

labor

labor

work, labour

Generated live from the audited Latin corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

  • De Herediolo 1 · 44.84/10k
  • Moretum, Appendix Vergiliana 3 · 38.76/10k
  • Hercules 25 · 32.85/10k
  • Georgicon 44 · 31.09/10k
  • Cento Nuptialis 4 · 29.33/10k
  • Mosella 9 · 27.68/10k
  • Technopaegnion 4 · 26.94/10k
  • Appendix Vergiliana 9 · 25.94/10k
  • Eclogarum Liber 7 · 25.57/10k
  • Epistularum 2 · 25/10k
  • Iphicrates 1 · 24.45/10k
  • Epodon 7 · 23.29/10k

Densest 12 of 284 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant

1. labor — de Vaan

labor 'work, labour' [m. r] (Naev.+; nom.sg. labos P1.+) Derivatives: laborare 'to toil, labour, be worried' (P1.+), laboriosus 'toilsome' (P1.+). Often connected, albeit hesitantly, with labd 'to waver', under the assumption of a semantic shift from 'nearly collapsing under a load' > 'burden' > 'labour'. This seems unconvincing to me. BibL: WH I: 739f., EM 334, IEW 655-657. lac, -tis 'milk' [n, t] (PI.+; … — [de Vaan, s.v. labor, p. 334]

2. lābor — Lewis & Short

lābor, lapsus (

I inf. parag. labier, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 94; part. labundus, Att. ap. Non. 504, 31; Trag. Fragm. v. 570 Rib.), 3, v. dep. n. [cf. lăbo; Sanscr. lamb- (ramb-), to glide, fall], to move gently along a smooth surface, to fall, slide; to slide, slip, or glide down, to fall down, to sink as the beginning of a fall; constr. absol., or with ad, in, inter, per, sub, super, ab, de, ex, or with abl. alone.
I Lit.
A In gen.
1 Of living beings: non squamoso labuntur ventre cerastae, Prop. 3 (4), 22, 27. per sinus crebros et magna volumina labens, Ov. M. 15, 721: pigraque labatur circa donaria serpens, Ov. Am. 2, 13, 13: ille inter vestes et levia pectora lapsus volvitur, Verg. A. 7, 349: (angues) in diversum lapsi, Jul. Obseq. 119.—Of floating: ut rate felice pacata per aequora labar, Ov. H. 10, 65: dum Stygio gurgite labor, id. M. 5, 504: tua labens navita aqua, Prop. 2, 26 (3, 21), 8.—Of flying: tollunt se celeres, liquidumque per aera lapsae, Verg. A. 6, 202: vade, age, nate, voca Zephyros et labere pennis, id. ib. 4, 223: pennis lapsa per auras, Ov. M. 8, 51: labere, nympha, polo, Verg. A. 11, 588.—Of sinking, slipping down: labor, io! cara lumina conde manu, Ov. A. A. 7, 342: labitur infelix (equus), Verg. G. 3, 498; cf. Luc. 5, 799: labitur exsanguis, Verg. A. 11, 818; 5, 181: super terram, Ov. M. 13, 477: equo, Hor. S. 2, 1, 15: temone, Verg. A. 12, 470 limite, Luc. 9, 712: in vulnera, id. 7, 604: in colla mariti, Val. Fl. 2, 425: alieno vulnere, Luc. 2, 265: in rivo, Cic. Fat. 3, 5: pondere lapsi pectoris arma sonant, Luc. 7, 572.— Of gliding upwards: celeri fuga sub sidera, Verg. A. 3, 243.—
2 Of things: splendida signa videntur labier, Lucr. 4, 445; Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 42: umor in genas Furtim labitur, Hor. C. 1, 13, 7: stellas Praecipites caelo labi, Verg. G. 1, 366: perque genas lacrimae labuntur, Ov. H. 7, 185; id. M. 2, 656: lapsi de fontibus amnes, id. ib. 13, 954; cf.: catenae lapsae lacertis sponte sua, id. ib. 3, 699: lapsuram domum subire, about to tumble down, id. Ib. 511; Luc. 1, 25; cf. with cado: multa in silvis Lapsa cadunt folia, Verg. A. 6, 310: ipsaque in Oceanum sidera lapsa cadunt, Prop. 4 (5), 4, 64. lapsis repente saxis, Tac. A. 4, 59: ab arbore ramus, Ov. M. 3, 410.—Of the eyes, to fall, close: labentes, oculos condere, Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 44: lumina, Verg. A. 11, 818; Prop. 1, 10, 7; 2, 5, 17.—
B Transf.
1 To glide away, glide along, slip or haste away: labitur uncta carina: volat super impetus undas, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1 (Ann. v. 379 Vahl.); so id. ap. Isid. Orig. 19, 1 (Ann. v. 476 Vahl.); cf.: labitur uncta vadis abies, Verg. A. 8, 91; Cic. Ac. 1, 8, 31: sidera, quae vaga et mutabili ratione labuntur, id. Univ. 10.—Esp., of a transition in discourse, to pass: a dispositione ad elocutionis praecepta labor, Quint. 7, 10, 17.—
2 To slip away, escape: lapsus custodiā, Tac. A. 5, 10; 11, 31: e manibus custodientium lapsus, Curt. 3, 13, 3; Prop. 1, 11, 5; Amm. 26, 3, 3.—
II Trop.
A In gen., to come or go gently or insensibly, to glide, glide or pass away: ilico res foras labitur, Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 21: brevitate et celeritate syllabarum labi putat verba proclivius, Cic. Or. 57; 56: sed labor longius, ad propositum revertor, id. Div. 2, 37, 79; id. Leg. 1, 19, 52: labitur occulte fallitque volubilis aetas, Ov. Am. 1, 8, 49: labi somnum sensit in artus, id. M. 11, 631: nostro illius labatur pectore vultus, Verg. E. 1, 64.—
B In partic.
1 Of speech, to die away, be lost, not be heard (very rare): ne adjectae voces laberentur atque errarent, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 114; cf. Sil. 7, 745.—
2 Of time, to glide, pass away, elapse: eheu fugaces labuntur anni, Hor. C. 2, 14, 2: anni tacite labentis origo, Ov. F. 1, 65: labentia tempora, id. Tr. 3, 11; id. F. 6, 771; id. Tr. 4, 10, 27: aetas labitur, Tib. 1, 8, 48; cf.: labente officio, when the attendance or service is ended, Juv. 6, 203.—
3 Pregn., to sink, incline, begin to fall, go to ruin, perish: quantis opibus, quibus de rebus lapsa fortuna accidat, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 19, 44 (Trag. v. 396 Vahl.); cf.: cetera nasci, occidere, fluere, labi, Cic. Or. 3, 10: labentem et prope cadentem rem publicam fulcire, id. Phil. 2, 21, 51: equitem Romanum labentem excepit, fulsit, sustinuit, id. Rab. Post. 16, 43; id. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 18, 2: sustinuit labentem aciem Antonius, Tac. H. 3, 23: vidi labentes acies, Prop. 4 (5), 2, 53. eo citius lapsa res est, Liv. 3, 33: mores lapsi sunt, id. praef.; Tac. A. 6, 50: fides lapsa, Ov. H. 2, 102: labentur opes, will be lost, Tib. 1, 6, 53: res, Lucr. 4, 1117: hereditas lapsa est, Dig. 4, 4, 11, § 5.—
4 To slip or fall away from a thing, to lose it: hac spe lapsus, deceived or disappointed in this hope, Caes. B. G. 5, 55, 3: hoc munere, Sil. 7, 740: facultatibus, to lose one's property, become poor, Dig. 27, 8, 2, § 11; 26, 7, 9, § 1: mente, to lose one's senses, go mad, Cels. 5, 26, 13; Suet. Aug. 48; cf.: lapsae mentis error, Val. Max. 5, 3, 2.—Hence, lapsus, a, um, ruined, unfortunate, Prop. 1, 1, 25. —
5 To fall into or upon, to come or turn to: labor eo, ut assentiar Epicuro, Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 139; id. Att. 4, 5, 2: ad opinionem, id. Ac. 2, 45, 138: in adulationem, Tac. A. 4, 6: in gaudia, Val. Fl. 6, 662: in vitium, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 94.—
6 To fall into error, to be mistaken, to err, mistake, commit a fault: labi, errare, nescire, decipi et malum et turpe ducimus, Cic. Off. 1, 6, 18: in aliqua re labi et cadere, id. Brut. 49, 185: in minimis tenuissimisque rebus, id. de Or. 1, 37, 169; id. Fam. 2, 7, 1: lapsus est per errorem suum, id. Q. Fr. 3, 9, 8: consilio, ... casu, id. Agr. 2, 3, 6: propter inprudentiam, Caes. B. G. 5, 3: in officio, Cic. Tusc. 2, 4, 12: in verbo, Ov. Am. 2, 8, 7: ne verbo quidem labi, Plin. Ep. 2, 3: it vera ratione, Lucr. 2, 176.—
7 Esp., to fall away from the true faith, to become apostate (eccl. Lat.): lapsorum fratrum petulantia, Cypr. Ep. 30, 1 al.

3. lăbor — Lewis & Short

lăbor (old form lăbos, like arbos, honos, etc., ōris, m.Sanscr. root rabh, to grasp, ā-rabh, to undertake; Gr. a)lf- in h)=lfon, earned, a)/lfhma, wages; Germ. Arbeit,

Plaut. Trin. 2, 1, 35; id. Truc. 2, 6, 40; Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 6; Varr. ap. Non. 487, 13; Cat. 55, 13; Sall. C. 7, 5; id. J. 100, 4; cf. Quint. 1, 4, 13),
I labor, toil, exertion (cf.: contentio, opera).
I Lit.: ut ingenium est omnium Hominum a labore proclive ad libidinem, Ter. And. 1, 1, 51: haud existimans quanto labore partum, id. Phorm. 1, 1, 12: interest aliquid inter laborem et dolorem: sunt finitima omnino, sed tamen differt aliquid. Labor est functio quaedam vel animi vel corporis, gravioris operis et muneris: dolor autem motus asper in corpore alienus a sensibus, Cic. Tusc. 2, 15, 35: corporis, id. Cael. 17, 39: res est magni laboris, id. de Or. 1, 33, 150: laborem sibi sumere et alteri imponere, id. Mur. 18, 38: sumptum et laborem insumere in rem aliquam, id. Inv. 2, 38, 113; cf. Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 98, § 227: multum operae laborisque consumere, id. de Or. 1, 55, 234: laborem sustinere, id. Att. 1, 17, 6: exantlare, id. Ac. 2, 34, 108: suscipere, id. Opt. Gen. Or. 5, 13: subire, id. Att. 3, 15, 7: capere, id. Rosc. Com. 16, 49: labores magnos excipere, id. Brut. 69, 243: se in magnis laboribus exercere, id. Arch. 11, 28: summi laboris esse, capable of great exertion, Caes. B. G. 4, 2, 2: laborem levare alicui, Cic. Or. 34, 120: detrahere, id. Fam. 3, 6, 5: ex labore se reficere, Caes. B. G. 3, 5; 5, 11: victus suppeditabatur sine labore, Cic. Sest. 48, 103: non est quod existumes, ullam esse sine labore virtutem, Sen. Vit. Beat. 25, 5; Suet. Ner. 52; Quint. 2, 12, 12; cf.: nullo labore, Cic. Dom. 34, 91; id. Sest. 40, 87; id. Tusc. 2, 22, 51: quantum meruit labor, Juv. 7, 216: reddere sua dona labori, id. 16, 57: numerenter labores, be valued, id. 9, 42.—
B In partic.
1 Pregn., drudgery, hardship, fatigue, distress, trouble, pain, suffering (mostly poet. and late Lat.; syn. aerumna): decet id pati animo aequo; si id facietis, levior labos erit, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 2: propter meum caput labores homini evenisse optumo, id. ib. 5, 1, 25: cum labore magno et misere vivere, id. Aul. prol. 14; id. Ps. 2, 4, 2: hoc evenit in labore atque in dolore, id. ib. 2, 3, 20: vel in labore meo vel in honore, Cic. Fam. 15, 18: Iliacos audire labores, Verg. A. 4, 78: mox et frumentis labor additus, ut mala culmos Esset rubigo, id. G. 1, 150: belli labores, id. A. 11, 126; cf. id. ib. 2, 619; 12, 727: labor militiae, Juv. 16, 52: castrorum labores, id. 14, 198: Lucinae labores, Verg. G. 4, 340: cor de labore pectus tundit, Plaut. Cas. 2, 6, 63: hoc medicamentum sine magno labore cadere cogit haemorrhoidas, Scrib. 227: litterarius, = opus, Aug. Conf. 9, 2; id. cont. Jul. 6, 21: meos labores legere, id. de Don. Pers. 68.—Of sickness: valetudo crescit, accrescit labor. Plaut. Curc. 2, 1, 4: sulphurosi fontes labores nervorum reficiunt, Vitr. 8, 3, 4.—Of danger: maximus autem earum (apium) labor est initio veris, Col. 9, 13, 2.—Prov.: jucundi acti labores, Cic. Fin. 2, 32, 105: suavis laborum est praeteritorum memoria, id. ib.—
2 Poet.
a Labores solis, eclipses of the sun, Verg. A. 1, 742 Forbig. ad loc.; so, defectus solis varios lunaeque labores, id. G. 1, 478; Sil. 14, 378. —
b Of plants: hunc laborem perferre, i. e. growth, Verg. G. 2, 343.—
3 Personified: Lăbos, toil, in the lower world, Verg. A. 6, 277.—
II Meton., of the products of labor.
a Work, workmanship of an artist (poet.): operum, Verg. A. 1, 455: hic labor ille domūs, id. ib. 6, 27: nec non Polycleti multus ubique labor, Juv. 8, 104. —
b Of cultivated plants, crops, etc.: ruit arduus aether et pluvia ingenti sata laeta boumque labores Diluit, Verg. G. 1, 325; cf.: haec cum sint hominumque boumque labores, id. ib. 1, 118: Juppiter Grandine dilapidans hominumque boumque labores, Col. poët. 10, 330; Verg. A. 2, 284; 306.—
c Labores uteri, i. e. children, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 193.

4. labor — Walde–Hofmann

labor (alat. und arch. labos, Sommer Hb.* 368), -oris m. „Mühe, Last, Anstrengung, Plage, Kummer“; erst sek. „Arbeit“ (s. ErnoutMeillet 487 f.; seit Naev., rom. [vlt. und rom. auch „Ackerbau“, Lofstedt Synt. II 273?, Rohlfs ZRPh. 52, 124], ebenso laboro, -dti, -àtum. 47* 740 1. labrum — labrusca. -üre „strenge mich an, kümmere mich, sorge, strebe, arbeite“ seit Enn. [el- seit Hor., coll- seit Itala, &- seit Rhet. … — [Walde–Hofmann, s.v. labor, p. 771]

In the wild

6 of 3,384 attestations shown.

Where it came from

  • de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Brill 2008) Treated in de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Brill 2008) s.v. labor (scan p. 334; entry #855). Root candidates: *lakt-, *glagt-.
  • Ernout-Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine Treated in Ernout-Meillet, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine s.v. labor (scan p. 358; entry #5611).
  • Walde-Hofmann, Lateinisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Walde-Hofmann, Lateinisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. labor (scan pp. 771-772; entry #1461).

Latin text and lemmatization derived from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-latinLit), CC BY-SA 4.0. Lewis & Short (public domain) via Perseus. This derived data is shared under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 license.