galère

galley (kind of ship); torturous forced labor (long done at the oars of state galleys); a terrible task, drudge, ordeal, problem; a type of oven; mason's cart, for loading building materials

“envoyer aux galères” — send [them] to forced labor

From Catalan galera, from Medieval Latin galēra, alternative form of galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea). Compare galée, from Old French, directly from Latin galea.

difficult; hellish

From Catalan galera, from Medieval Latin galēra, alternative form of galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea). Compare galée, from Old French, directly from Latin galea.