throe Definition

throe
noun

1. A violent pang or spasm, especially during childbirth or before death.

Form: throes (usually)

Idiom: in the throes of something

Involved in a difficult or painful struggle with it; suffering under it.
Example: in the throes of the storm

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon: from throwian to suffer.

Info:

There is sometimes a spelling confusion between throe and throw.