conscious exertion of physical or mental power
a serious attempt; a try
something produced by exertion or trying
The novel was his most ambitious effort to date
the force applied, e.g. to a simple machine, as distinguished from the force exerted against the load
effortful adj
effortfully adv
effortless adj
effortlessly adv
effortlessness noun
[early French effort from Old French esfort, from esforcier to force, from Latin ex-1 + fortis strong]