A labour of love

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Meaning

Work undertaken chiefly from affection, commitment or enjoyment rather than for reward. Labour is British spelling and labor American. The work can be arduous; enjoyment need not mean ease. Regional use: Early modern English Bible tradition; now international English.

Origin

The phrase appears in English Bible tradition at 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and Hebrews 6:10, where labour expresses active service motivated by love. Tyndale's sixteenth-century Hebrews rendered the idea as 'labour that proceedeth of love'; the compact 1611 King James wording therefore belongs to an earlier English translation lineage. It is misleading to derive the expression from Shakespeare's title Love's Labour's Lost. Modern use is usually secular.

Research Sources

  1. 1 Thessalonians 1:3, King James Version Bible Gateway
  2. A labour of love Phrase Finder
  3. Pentateuch 1530-37 and New Testament 1525-26, translated by William Tyndale Project Gutenberg

Variants

  • Labour of love
  • Labor of love
  • A work of love

Usage Examples

  • Restoring the village map was a labour of love carried out over twelve winters.
  • The free archive is clearly a labour of love, not a commercial product.
  • Cooking for the reunion became a labor of love for all three siblings.

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