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toil²

(toil)

1. often toils Something that binds, snares, or entangles one; an entrapment: caught in the toils of despair.

2. Archaic A net for trapping game.

[French toile, cloth, from Old French teile, from Latin tēla, web; see teks- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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