Added 9 October 2026
struggle
/ˈstɹʌɡəl/ noun
In Latin: dīmicō, nītor, luctor Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about struggle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
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To strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight (for or against), to contend.
During the centuries, the people of Ireland struggled constantly to assert their right to govern themselves.
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To have difficulty with something.
One of the doctor’s patients struggled with depression.
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To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.
She struggled to escape from her assailant's grasp.
Origin
From Middle English struglen, stroglen, strogelen, of obscure origin; perhaps from a variant of *strokelen, *stroukelen (> English stroll), from Middle Dutch struyckelen ("to stumble, trip, falter"; > Modern Dutch struikelen), the frequentative form of Old Dutch *strūkon (“to stumble”), from Proto-Germanic *strūkōną, *strūkēną (“to be stiff”), from Proto-Indo-European *strug-, *ster- (“to be stiff; to bristle, strut, stumble, fall”), Cognate with Scots strugil (“to struggle, grapple, contend”). Also related to Middle Low German strûkelen ("to stumble"; > Low German strükeln), Old High German strūhhēn, strūhhōn ("to stumble, trip, tumble, go astray"; > German strauchen, straucheln).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)