endeavour
Noun · VerbUS[in-dev-er]/ɪnˈdɛvɚ/3 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (2)endeavours
- a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)“he had doubts about the whole enterprise”Synonyms: enterpriseendeavorType of undertaking, projectKinds business activity, racket, forlorn hope
- earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something“made an effort to cover all the reading material”“wished him luck in his endeavor”“she gave it a good try”Synonyms: attempteffortendeavortryType of activityKinds test, struggle, contribution, striving, best, batting, bid, essay, shot, foray +7 more
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notoriousadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
“endeavour” is listed under Endeavor.
En·deav′or transitive verb [past tense & past participle Endeavored; present participle & verbal noun Endeavoring.] [Written also endeavour.]
Origin: OE. endevor; pref. en- + dever, devoir, duty, F. devoir: cf. F. se mettre en devoir de faire quelque chose to try to do a thing, to go about it. See Devoir, Debt.
To exert physical or intellectual strength for the attainment of; to use efforts to effect; to strive to achieve or reach; to try; to attempt.
It is our duty to endeavor the recovery of these beneficial subjects.— William Pitt, Lord Chatham
To endeavor one's self, to exert one's self strenuously to the fulfillment of a duty. obsolete “A just man that endeavoreth himself to leave all wickedness.” Hugh Latimer
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54