saothraigh1, v.t. & i. 1. Labour, toil. Ag saothrú ar rud, labouring at sth. Ag saothrú de lá is d’oíche, toiling by day and by night. Tá an lá saothraithe agat, you have done a hard day’s work. 2. (a) Work, till, cultivate. An talamh a shaothrú, to till the land. Feirm a shaothrú, to work a farm. Glasraí a shaothrú, to cultivate vegetables. Ní threabhann agus ní shaothraíonn siad, they neither plough nor till. (b) Bring into cultivation, reclaim. An riasc a shaothrú, to reclaim the marshland. (c) Cultivate, develop. Na healaíona a shaothrú, to cultivate the arts. An intinn, an chuimhne, a shaothrú, to develop the mind, the memory. (d)Biol: Culture. (e)Gréas saothraithe, worked-out, elaborate, pattern. 3. Earn. Do bheatha, do chuid, a shaothrú, to earn one’s living. Cé atá ag saothrú dóibh? Who is their bread-winner? Ag saothrú airgid, earning money. Saothraíonn pingin pingin eile, money makes money. Is maith a shaothraigh tú é, you earned it well; you richly deserve it. 4. To work one’s way. Nuair a shaothraigh sé chomh fada leis an mbaile, when he had struggled home. 5. To work in, to manoeuvre. An bád a shaothrú isteach ar an trá, to haul the boat on to the strand. 6. Bheith ag saothrú an bháis, to be in the throes of death.