# endeavour

Pronunciation: say "in-DEV-uh" UK /ɪnˈdɛv.ə/, AUS /ɪnˈdev.ə/; US say "in-DEV-er" /ɪnˈdɛv.ɚ/

## Noun

1. A sincere and determined attempt to achieve a particular aim; also, hard and persistent activity in general.
   - Simple: A serious effort to reach a goal, or steady hard work.
   - _The new hospital wing is the result of years of shared endeavour by the whole town._
   - _In an endeavour to cut waiting times, the surgery has started opening on Saturday mornings._

## Verb

2. To make a strenuous effort to do something.
   - Simple: To try very hard to do something.
   - _Station staff endeavour to keep the platforms clear of ice during cold spells._
   - _Throughout the inquiry, the committee has endeavoured to hear from every family affected._

## Origin

The verb goes back to Middle English endeveren, 'to make an effort', and the noun, Middle English endevour, was formed from that verb. Endeveren grew out of the phrase (putten) in dever, '(to put oneself) in duty', made of in and dever, 'duty'. The phrase is a partial translation of the Middle French expression se mettre en devoir, roughly 'to make it one's duty', and French devoir itself comes from Old French devoir, deveir, 'duty'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/endeavour (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).