throes
Pronunciation: /θrəʊz/
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Definition of throes
noun
Origin:
Middle English throwe (singular); perhaps related to Old English thrēa, thrawu 'calamity', influenced by thrōwian 'suffer'
Do not confuse throes with throws. Throes means 'great pain or difficulty' (a country in the throes of a civil war), whereas throws is the present tense of the verb 'to throw' (he throws his stuff into the car) or the plural of the noun throw (three throws of the dice).