Trudge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /tɹʌd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. To walk slowly and heavily with effort, usually because of fatigue or difficult conditions
2. To move forward with a laborious and heavy gait, typically due to exertion or unfavorable circumstances
3. To advance in a slow and strenuous manner, often as a result of weariness or adverse situations

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "trudge" is that it began as a term for travelling on snow. In the mid-1500s, English speakers used it to mean walking on snowshoes, a sense that has almost entirely faded. The word probably came into English from Scandinavian sources, where comparable forms for snowshoe appear in Icelandic ("þrúga"), Norwegian ("truga") and Swedish dialect ("trudja"). The image of effortful walking came later. Once the snowshoe sense dropped away, the word kept the idea of heavy, laboured movement over difficult ground and lost its link to the equipment. Walking in deep snow on snowshoes is slow and tiring, which may explain how the meaning shifted from the device to the effort of using it.

Synonyms: plod, slog, walk, march, stomp

Antonyms: skip, dance, bounce