námahy

Námaha is a Czech feminine noun meaning exertion, effort, or labor. It denotes the mental or physical application of energy toward achieving a goal and often implies sustained striving rather than a single act. The word is used for both everyday contexts and more formal discussions of work, perseverance, or skill.

The form námahy is common in Czech and serves as the genitive singular as well as the nominative plural, depending on the syntactic context. Typical phrases include vynaložit velkou námahu (to expend great effort) and bez námahy (without effort, easily). In literary and rhetorical use, námaha can emphasize diligence, perseverance, and moral commitment.

In everyday language námaha is often contrasted with ease or luck, and is frequently paired with adjectives such as velká, značná, or dravá to indicate magnitude. Its synonyms include usilí, snaha, and úsilí, while antonyms might be pohoda, pohodlnost, or laxnost. The term is commonly part of discussions about work ethic, achievement, and personal growth, as well as in expressions describing the cost or reward of striving.

Overall, námaha represents the tangible dimension of effort—what a person spends of their energy and time to reach a desired outcome—while remaining a flexible term applicable across everyday speech and literary prose.