endeavor

• endeavour (UK)

The verb is from Middle English endeveren (“to make an effort”); the noun is from Middle English endevour, from the verb. Endeveren is from (putten) in dever (“(to put oneself) in duty”), from in + dever (“duty”), partially translating Middle French (se mettre) en devoir (de faire) (“(to make it) one's duty (to do), to endeavour (to do)”) (from Old French devoir, deveir (“duty”)).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈdɛv.ə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɛnˈdɛv.ɚ/, /ɪnˈdɛv.ɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛvə(ɹ)

endeavor (plural endeavors) (American spelling)

1. A sincere attempt; a determined or assiduous effort towards a specific goal; assiduous or persistent activity.

• future endeavor

endeavor (third-person singular simple present endeavors, present participle endeavoring, simple past and past participle endeavored) (American spelling)

1. (obsolete) To exert oneself. [15th–17th c.]
2. (intransitive) To attempt through application of effort (to do something); to try strenuously. [from 16th c.]
3. (obsolete, transitive) To attempt (something). [16th–17th c.]
4. To work with purpose.
   • 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 2, page 162:

     He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. With this biological framework in place, Corning endeavors to show that the capitalist system as currently practiced in the United States and elsewhere is manifestly unfair.

• strive

• do a never