Work

Table of contents

1 English 1.1 Etymology (1) 1.1.1 Noun 1.1.1.1 Related terms 1.1.1.2 Translations 1.2 Etymology (2) 1.2.1 Verb (1) 1.2.1.1 Related terms 1.2.1.2 Translations to be checked 1.2.2 Verb (2) 1.2.2.1 Translations to be checked

English

Etymology (1)

weorc, worc; akin to Old Frisian werk, wirk, Old Saxon, Dutch, & German werk, Old High German werc, werah, Icelandic & Swedish verk, Danish værk, Gothic gawaúrki, Greek έργω, to do, Avestan verez to work. Cognates include: bulwark, energy, erg, georgic , liturgy, metallurgy, organ, surgeon, wright.

Noun

work (uncountable and countable; plural: works)

1. Labour, employment, occupation, job. ("I go to work everyday.")
2. Effort expended on a particular task. ("Holding a brick over your head may be tiring, but you aren't doing any work.")
3.  : A measure of energy expended in moving an object; most commonly, force*distance. No work is done if the object does not move. ("Work is done against friction to drag a bag along the ground.")
4. A literary, artistic, or intellectual production. ("It is a work of art")
5. A person of importance. ("You are a piece of work.")
6. A place of work. ("He's not here, he's still at work.")

Related terms

• artwork
• dreamwork
• fireworks
• masterwork
• public works
• waterworks
• work of art
• work out
• workout
• body of work

Translations

• Breton: labour m -ioù pl (1), oberenn f -où pl (3)
• Bulgarian: (rabota) f
• Catalan: treball m
• Dutch: werk (1), arbeid (2) n
• Finnish: työ
• French: travail m
• Frisian: wurk n
• German: Arbeit f (1,2,5), Werk n (3)

  obair

• Hungarian: munka
• Ido: laborajo (1), verko (4).
• Irish: obair f
• Italian: lavoro m
• Japanese: 仕事
• Polish: praca f (1,2), wyrób m (3), wytwór m (3), dzieło n (3)
• Portuguese: trabalho m
• Romanian: muncă f
• Russian: работа f
• Spanish: trabajo m
• Swedish: arbete n

Etymology (2)

Old English wyrcean (imperfect worthe, wrohte, past participle geworht, gewroht); akin to Old Frisian werka, wirka, Old Saxon wirkian, Dutch werken, German wirken, Icelandic verka, yrkja, orka, Gothic waúrkjan.

Verb (1)

Imperfect & past participle worked or (obsolete) wrought; present participle & verbal noun working.

Transitive: to work (worked, working)

1. to labour; to apply effort

   Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed. -Milton.

Intransitive: to work (worked, working)

1. to labour; to apply effort

   Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake, Our life doth pass. -Sir J. Davies.

Related terms

• worker
• working
• work at
• work on
• work out
• work up

Translations to be checked

• Breton: labourat
• Czech: pracovat
• Dutch: werken
• Finnish: työskennellä , tehdä työtä
• French: travailler , bosser (slang)
• Frisian: wurkje
• German: arbeiten (1)
• Hebrew: לעבוד
• Irish: oibrigh
• Hungarian dolgozik
• Ido: laborar
• Polish: pracować
• Portuguese: trabalhar
• Romanian: munci
• Russian: работать
• Spanish: trabajar (1)
• Swedish: arbeta
• Hindi: काम (colloquial), कार्य , कर्म

Verb (2)

Transitive: to work (works, worked, wrought, working)

1. (usually of a machine): to function correctly. ("We found the machine to be in good working order.")
2. to effect by gradual degrees ("He worked his way through the crowd." "The dye worked its way through.")
3. to embroider with thread
4. to set into action ("he worked the levers")
5. (zymurgy): to cause to ferment
6. to exhaust, by working (as a mine.)
7. shape form or improve a material, (as stone or metal)
8. operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
9. operate in or through; "Work the phones"
10. provoke or excite; influence; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
11. use or manipulate to one's advantage; "She knows how to work the system"
12. cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"
13. cause to work; "he is working his servants hard"

Intransitive: to work (worked, working)

1. (usually of a machine): to function correctly. (He pointed at the car and asked, "Does it work?")
2. A process, chemical, or system provided to solve a problem or relieve a discomfort. ("He looked at the bottle of pain pills, wondering if they would work.")
3. (figuratively): to influence
4. to effect by gradual degrees ("to work into the earth")
5. move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"
6. behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"

Translations to be checked

• Breton: mont en-dro
• Finnish: toimia
• French: marcher, fonctionner
• German: funktionieren (1), wirken (2)
• Hungarian: működik
• Polish: działać
• Romanian: merge, funcţiona
• Spanish: funcionar