straining vs travail

straining and travail both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
straining	Yes	Yes	No	No
travail	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, travail is a hypernym of straining; that is, travail is a word with a broader meaning than straining:

Other hypernyms of straining include effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat.

straining (noun)	travail (noun)
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean	use of physical or mental energy; hard work
an intense or violent exertion	concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child

straining (adjective)	travail (adjective)
taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance

straining (verb)	travail (verb)
	work hard