n.
Pronunciation: ' thr ō
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thrawe, throwe, from Old English thrawu, thr ē a threat, pang; akin to Old High German drawa threat
Date: 13th century
1 : PANG , SPASM <death throe s > < throe s of childbirth>
2 plural : a hard or painful struggle <the throe s of revolutionary social change ― M. D. Geismar>