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Duress - 6 dictionary results

du⋅ress

  [doo-res, dyoo-, door-is, dyoor-]
Use Duress in a Sentence
–noun
1. compulsion by threat or force; coercion; constraint.
2. Law. such constraint or coercion as will render void a contract or other legal act entered or performed under its influence.
3. forcible restraint, esp. imprisonment.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME duresse < MF duresse, -esce, -ece < L dūritia hardness, harshness, oppression, equiv. to dūr(us) hard + -itia -ice

Synonyms:
1. intimidation, pressure, bullying, browbeating.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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du·ress   (dŏŏ-rěs', dyŏŏ-)   
n.  
  1. Constraint by threat; coercion: confessed under duress.
  2. Law
    1. Coercion illegally applied.
    2. Forcible confinement.

[Middle English duresse, harshness, compulsion, from Old French durece, hardness, from Latin dūritia, from dūrus, hard; see deru- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Duress

Du"ress\, n. [OF. duresse, du?, hardship, severity, L. duritia, durities, fr. durus hard. See Dure.]

1. Hardship; constraint; pressure; imprisonment; restraint of liberty.

The agreements . . . made with the landlords during the time of slavery, are only the effect of duress and force. --Burke.

2. (Law) The state of compulsion or necessity in which a person is influenced, whether by the unlawful restrain of his liberty or by actual or threatened physical violence, to incur a civil liability or to commit an offense.

Duress

Du*ress"\, v. t. To subject to duress. "The party duressed." --Bacon.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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duress 
c.1320, "harsh or severe treatment," from O.Fr. duresse, from L. duritia "hardness," from durus "hard" (see endure). Sense of "forcible restraint" is from c.1430; that of "coercion" is from 1596.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: du·ress
Pronunciation: du-'res, dyu-
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French duresce, literally, hardness, harshness, from Old French, from Latin duritia, from durus hard
: wrongful and usually unlawful compulsion (as threats of physical violence) that induces a person to act against his or her will : COERCION; also : the affirmative defense of having acted under duress —see also ECONOMIC DURESS —compare NECESSITY, UNDUE INFLUENCE
NOTE: A person may be able to avoid the consequences of his or her acts under the law if they were performed while under duress. For example, a contract made under duress is voidable by the coerced party. Similarly, a will signed under duress is invalid. Duress may also be used to justify a criminal act. A threat to bring a lawsuit is not duress.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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