• pains: i. e. exertion, endeavour: ŏpĕra (effort, labour; collectively): esp. in phr., dare operam, to take all possible p.: foll. by ut and (of negative purposes) ne: Cic. Att. 16, 16 (da operam, ut valeas): Caes. B. C. 1, 5 (dent o. consules nequid resp. detrimenti capiat): with dat. of substantive object = to occupy oneself about anything: e. g. dare operam valetudini, to attend to health, take exercise constitutionally: Cic. de Or. 1, fin. Also with other verbs: e. g. operam [et laborem] consumere in aliqua re, to bestow p. and labour on it, id. de Or. 1, 55, 234; operam [studiumque] in aliquam rem conferre, id. Off. 1, 6, 19. Phr.: to take (great) p. about anything, elaborare (constr. with subj., in with abl. or less freq. acc.., and in later authors infin.: also absol.): to take p. not to damage a case, e. ut ne quid causae obsis, Cic. de Or. 2, 72, fin.: to take p. over anything, e. in aliqua re, ib. 1, 3, 9: Quint. See also to exert (II.), strive; and trouble (subs.).