effort
noun
Effort — the exertion behind any notable achievement, or the achievement itself
Definition
A notable achievement; "he performed a great feat"; "the book was her finest effort"
In depth
Effort, in this sense, names a notable achievement, particularly one resulting from sustained labor or exertion — a writer's 'finest effort,' for instance, referring not to the trying but to the finished work it produced. The word elegantly bridges process and result, letting the labor and its outcome share a single name.
Origin
The word descends from Old French esforcier, to force or exert oneself, ultimately from Latin ex- (out) and fortis (strong). That root sense of forcing strength outward explains both senses of the modern word: effort is simultaneously the strength exerted and, by natural extension, the strong, notable thing that exertion finally produces.
Usage examples
"The novel was widely considered her finest effort, the culmination of everything her earlier books had been building toward."
"The rescue operation, against impossible odds, stood as the team's most extraordinary collective effort."
"He looked at the modest painting, his first real effort, with more pride than anything he had made since."
How to use it
In its more common sense, effort means simply exertion or trying, but writers should note this secondary, slightly more formal usage, where 'an effort' names the resulting achievement itself, often modified by a superlative like 'finest' or 'greatest.'
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