Swynken

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Middle English verb meaning to work laboriously or toil with great effort over a long period
2. An archaic term for labouring hard at a task, wearing oneself out through strenuous and tiring work
3. Describes the act of toiling diligently, exerting oneself through hard and burdensome labour in medieval English

Etymology: "Swynken" is a Middle English spelling of a verb meaning to toil or labour hard. It descends from Old English "swincan," which described strenuous, wearing physical effort, and the Middle English form kept that sense of exhausting work, often farming or other manual labour. The verb faded from ordinary speech, but its modern descendant, "swink," survives in poetry and archaic writing, where it still means to labour until worn out.

Synonyms: toil, labour, work, drudge

Antonyms: rest, idle