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Travail vs Relaxation - What's the difference?

travail | relaxation |

As nouns the difference between travail and relaxation

is that travail is arduous or painful exertion; excessive labor, suffering, hardship while relaxation is the act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed; the opposite of stress or tension; the aim of recreation and leisure activities.

As a verb travail

is to toil.

travail

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (archaic) Arduous or painful exertion; excessive labor, suffering, hardship.
  • * Hooker
    • As everything of price, so this doth require travail .
  • *, II.20:
  • *:Travell and pleasure, most unlike in nature, are notwithstanding followed together by a kind of I wot not what natural conjunction.
  • * 1936 , (Djuna Barnes), Nightwood , Faber & Faber 2007, p. 38:
    • He had thought of making a destiny for himself, through laborious and untiring travail .
  • Specifically, the labor of childbirth.
  • (obsolete, countable) An act of working; labor (US), labour (British).
  • (obsolete) The eclipse of a celestial object.

    • References

    *

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To toil.
  • * Latimer
    • slothful persons which will not travail for their livings
  • To go through the labor of childbirth.
  • * 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , John XIV:
    • A woman when she traveyleth hath sorowe, be cause her houre is come: but as sone as she is delivered off her chylde she remembreth no moare her anguysshe, for ioye that a man is borne in to the worlde.

    relaxation

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed; the opposite of stress or tension; the aim of recreation and leisure activities.
  • A diminution of tone, tension, or firmness; specifically in pathology: a looseness; a diminution of the natural and healthy tone of parts.
    • relaxation of the soft palate
  • Remission or abatement of rigor.
  • Remission of attention or application.
    • relaxation of efforts
  • Unbending; recreation; a state or occupation intended to give mental or bodily relief after effort.
  • (physics) The transition of an atom or molecule from a higher energy level to a lower one.
  • (music) The release following musical tension.

    • Derived terms

    * dielectric relaxation * letter of relaxation

    Related terms

    * relax * relaxable * relaxant * relaxate * relaxative

    References

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