duty

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   That which one is morally or legally obligated to do.

   • Do your duty by me! -No, we don't have a duty to keep you abreast.
   • 1805, 21 October, Horatio Nelson England expects that every man will do his duty.
2. 2

   The state of being at work and responsible for or doing a particular task.

   • I’m on duty from 6 pm to 6 am.
3. 3

   An excise tax

   An excise tax; especially, one on imports or exports.

   • customs duty
4. ›+ 5 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      One's due, something one is owed

      One's due, something one is owed; a debt or fee.

      • Take that which is thy duty, and goo thy waye.
   2. 5

      Respect

      Respect; reverence; regard; act of respect; homage.

      • my duty to you
      • It [the letter] was written with a plain, unaffected, homely piety that I knew to be genuine, and ended with ‘my duty to my ever darling’—meaning myself.
   3. 6

      The efficiency of an engine in work done per unit of fuel

      The efficiency of an engine in work done per unit of fuel; particularly, the number of pounds of water which a steam pumping engine can raise one foot by burning one bushel or hundredweight of coal.

   4. 7

      The act of urination or defecation, especially for a dog.

      • The basic idea in housebreaking is not to wait until the puppy sins and then punish him; it is to call nature to your aid and thus make it easy for him to do his duty.
   5. 8

      A surname.

The neighborhood

• antonymduty-free
• antonymrightantonym(s) of “that which one is obligated to do”
• neighbordue