From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtravailtrav‧ail /ˈtræveɪl/ noun [uncountable] written (also travails [plural])WORK THAT somebody DOES a difficult or unpleasant situation, or very tiring worktravail of the travails of last year’s water shortage
Examples from the Corpus
travail• Let us be clear about the causes of our present economic travail and where the blame lies.• In the middle of this elephantine travail, there came a knock on the door.• No longer could she take any pleasure in the act; almost she had come to hate the interminable travail.• Kitchen travail was for reward; now you get gratification without labour.• Why does this inspirational man demand so much travail from his damaged body?• Many have already departed by the way of this terrible illness, no doubt others will follow before our present travail is over.travail of• the travails of old ageOrigin travail (1200-1300) Old French travaillier “to torture, work very hard”, from Vulgar Latin tripaliare “to torture”, from tripalium “instrument of torture”, from Latin tri- “three” + palus “sharp stick” 