Duty Definition

Contents

• 1 English
  • 1.1 Etymology
  • 1.2 Pronunciation
  • 1.3 Noun
    • 1.3.1 Usage notes
    • 1.3.2 Synonyms
    • 1.3.3 Antonyms
    • 1.3.4 Derived terms
    • 1.3.5 Related terms
    • 1.3.6 Translations
  • 1.4 Statistics
  • 1.5 External links

English

Etymology

From Middle English duete < Old French deu (“due”), past participle of devoir (“to owe”) < Latin debere (“to owe”) < de (“from”) + habere (“to have”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdjuːti/

• Audio (US)
  (file)

  Rhymes: -uːti

Noun

duty (plural duties)

1. That which one is morally or legally obligated to do.

   England expects that every man will do his duty. (Nelson)

   She felt it was her bounden duty to tell the police about the incident.

2. A period of time spent at work or doing a particular task.

   I’m on duty from 6 pm to 6 am.

3. describing a workload as to its idle, working and de-energized periods.
4. A tax placed on imports or exports; a tariff.
5. (obsolete) One's due, something one is owed; a debt or fee.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew XX:

     Take that which is thy duty, and goo thy waye.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often used with "duty": public, private, moral, legal, social, double, civic, contractual, political, judicial, etc.

Synonyms

• (that which one is obligated to do): obligation

Antonyms

• duty-free (taxes)
• (that which one is obligated to do): right

Derived terms

Related terms

• due

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: chief · company · sweet · #613: duty · heavy · single · foot

External links

• duty in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• duty in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• duty at OneLook Dictionary Search

Related 'Duty' Searches: