throe

n.

1. A severe pang or spasm of pain, as in childbirth. See synonyms at pain.
2. throes A condition of agonizing struggle or trouble: a country in the throes of economic collapse.

[Middle English throwe, perhaps alteration of thrawe, from Old English thrawu, genitive of thrēah, pain, affliction.]

A positive forecast from US Vice President Dick Cheney:

"The insurgency in Iraq is 'in the last throes,'"

he said, predicting that calm would be restored in Iraq by the end of President Bush's term in office.

Link: Iraq insurgency in 'last throes,' Cheney says

Posted June 1, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

noun

1. A violent, excruciating seizure of pain: cramp¹, paroxysm, shoot, spasm. See pain/pleasure.
2. A sensation of physical discomfort occurring as the result of disease or injury: ache, pain, pang, prick, prickle, smart, soreness, stab, sting, stitch, twinge. Informal misery. See pain/pleasure.
3. A condition of anguished struggle and disorder. convulsion, paroxysm. See calm/agitation.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: severe spasm of pain

Meaning #2: hard or painful trouble or struggle

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kval, vånde

Nederlands (Dutch)
stuiptrekking

Français (French)
n. - douleur, agonie, (au) beau milieu (de)

Deutsch (German)
n. - heftiger Schmerz, seelischer Schmerz

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - έντονο άλγος, αγωνία, ωδίνες

Italiano (Italian)
doglie

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pontada (f), dor violenta (f), angústia (f), dores do parto (f)

Русский (Russian)
спазмы, судороги, сильная боль, агония, предсмертные судороги, родовые боли

Español (Spanish)
n. - dolor, angustia, ansias

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - födslovånda, plåga, kval, ångest

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
剧痛, 阵痛

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 劇痛, 陣痛

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 격통, 임종의 고통, 과도기의 혼란

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 激痛, 陣痛
v. - 苦悶する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الم مفاجئ او مبرح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חבלי-לידה, ייסורים, עווית-כאב, ייסורי גסיסה‬

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