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duty

[doo-tee, dyoo-]

Example Sentences Origin

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noun, plural -ties.

something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.

the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.

an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function: the duties of a clergyman.

the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.

an act or expression of respect.

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a task or chore that a person is expected to perform: It's your duty to do the dishes.

Military.

an assigned task, occupation, or place of service: He was on radar duty for two years.

the military service required of a citizen by a country: After graduation, he began his duty.

Commerce. a specific or ad valorem tax imposed by law on the import or export of goods.

a payment, service, etc., imposed and enforceable by law or custom.

10.

Chiefly British. tax: income duty.

11.

Machinery.

the amount of work done by an engine per unit amount of fuel consumed.

the measure of effectiveness of any machine.

12.

Agriculture. the amount of water necessary to provide for the crop in a given area.

13.

Baby Talk. bowel movement.

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Idioms

14.

do duty, to serve the same function; substitute for: bookcases that do duty as room dividers.

15.

off duty, not at one's post or work; at liberty: They spent their days off duty in hiking and fishing.

16.

on duty, at one's post or work; occupied; engaged: He was suspended from the force for being drunk while on duty.

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Duty is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English du(e)te < Anglo-French duete. See due, -ty²

Synonyms
1. Duty, obligation refer to what one feels bound to do. Duty is what one performs, or avoids doing, in fulfillment of the permanent dictates of conscience, piety, right, or law: duty to one's country; one's duty to tell the truth, to raise children properly. An obligation is what one is bound to do to fulfill the dictates of usage, custom, or propriety, and to carry out a particular, specific, and often personal promise or agreement: financial obligations. 3. responsibility, business. 4. deference.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To duty

Example Sentences

At last: jury duty so brief, easy and entertaining that you'll actually pay to serve.

They don't go to expensive tutors out of a sense of duty.

Rich families bring food and water to those on duty.

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At last: jury duty so brief, easy and entertaining that you'll actually pay to serve.

They don't go to expensive tutors out of a sense of duty.

Rich families bring food and water to those on duty.

Only a few species of fly larvae, primarily blowflies, are suitable for such duty.

Participants were jury-eligible adults who were at the court for real jury duty.

The museum tour is self guided, and docents are on duty to accompany visitors, by request.

These are the bottles that fulfill a wine's only duty on a warm afternoon: to be crisp and white.

Not the heavy duty medical stuff, but things to treat the minor hiccups that can derail a day of walking and over-indulging.

They're so light on civic duty that few vote and fewer still can imagine why one would die for one's country.

They believe the bank had a duty of care to its clients.

We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment.

Variable sense of civic duty affects voter turnout.

He was opposed to slavery because it became his duty to be.

Parchment paper wrapped around the sandwich can do double duty on your lap as a drip-catcher.

The department chair position is a duty that is in addition to the faculty contract.

The first question was whether guard duty really is dangerous.

That's why learning how the carbon cycle works has become a public duty.

Quote:Here's a little experiment: work for free because it's your duty to humanity.

Indonesia promptly declared the five fallen countrymen to be heroes who had died in the course of duty.

The duty called for an unconventional, groundbreaking approach to library science.

Alternatively, they can import approved, non-polluting vehicles with a big discount on import duty.

It is our duty to humankind to stop careless environmental practices that endanger precious natural resources.

Psychologists on the battlefield are helping soldiers stay mentally fit during long and frightful tours of duty.

Dishonor comes with failure to do one's duty to the demands of the discipline.

That's why the scientific community has a duty to investigate, without getting overexcited until conclusive proof is found.

Companies must balance customer bills with their statutory duty to conserve and enhance protected wetland habitats.

Personal responsibilty and civic duty is part of america.

But they and the technocrats they have appointed should understand that their duty now is limited.

Chew has made it his duty to restore dignity to the much-maligned tamarisk tree, aka salt cedar.

Japanese shoppers consider it their patriotic duty to buy from protected and exorbitantly priced domestic markets.

Army data reports an alarming increase in suicides among active duty soldiers.

But it is the duty of science to prove its contentions.

Scientists have a duty to foster the future survival and evolution of life in all its forms.

Two short days on jury duty provide a slight inconvenience and a nice jolt of civic enthusiasm.

Military duty often means interruptions in academic careers and difficult adjustments back on the campus.

But governments have a duty to acquire as much information as they can consistent with that proportionality.

Rank, salary and duty times are negotiable, and depend on the applicant's experience as well as other sources of support.

One explanation is that the duty on alcohol is relatively cheap.

And for many librarians, when they're off duty, they are truly off duty.

It has long wanted compensation in the form of insurance and the payment of wages while a player is on international duty.

He pushes more buttons, and a different size drill instantly reports for duty.

Making that effort and wanting to find out is part of the duty of each one of.

There's not much room on balconies so anything that does double duty and saves space is welcome.

In any case, his cherished unions were performing more out of duty than rage.

To say that none but the perp are guilty means that nobody has a legal or moral duty to intervene or report this behavior.

It is interesting to see the role of the psychologist in two-fold: their duty to their country and their obligation as a doctor.

Super quick, and plenty flavorful, the harissa marinade does double duty as a spicy sauce once the lamb is cooked.

As a teacher, it is your duty to constantly monitor the learning process.

National pride is partly linked to a sense of international duty.

Faced with a horrible choice, the submariners sacrificed themselves to do their duty and repair the cooling system.

It is our moral duty to help them while continuing to limit the ecological consequences of this disaster".

During that period, the idea of duty was second only to religious commitment.

But that will not convince people who believe it is the state's duty to ensure that children mix with.

Add into the mix a city that considered it someone else's duty to protect them and you had a recipe for disaster.

You'll have to do some heavy duty networking to find out.

Nothing shows more powerfully the duty of every man to look after the needs of others”.

One of the two privates on duty looks at the radar oscilloscope and can't believe his eyes.

And academic freedom doesn't mean that anything goes, but dereliction of duty seems not at all the issue here.

Part of that moral duty is to make good on the hopes and expectations vested in us-to deliver.

It is my duty to tell my children, the parisites of earth, they are little devils.

They also have a fiduciary duty to their clients, so he will ultimately not be out of pocket.

As some interpret it, one would impose on them a fiduciary duty towards pension funds and.

Again, this is nothing more than a bunch of elitist thugs who feel they have the moral duty to dictate you how you live.

Most of my students are continuing education and many are active duty military.

Two small taxes-landfill levy and stamp duty on property sales-would also be devolved.

No problems any time and no duty but make sure that you sort out the customs stuff.

The lucky few who get jobs are often being told to find something else to do for now, and report for duty on some far-off date.

It is worth noting that cargo transport to the station is the shuttle's main duty.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

duty (ˈdjuːtɪ)

—n , pl -ties
1.	a task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons
2.	respect or obedience due to a superior, older persons, etc: filial duty
3.	the force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations
4.	a government tax, esp on imports
5.	(Brit)
	a. the quantity or intensity of work for which a machine is designed
	b. a measure of the efficiency of a machine
6.	the quantity of water necessary to irrigate an area of land to grow a particular crop
7.	a. a job or service allocated
	b. (as modifier): duty rota
8.	do duty for to act as a substitute for
9.	off duty not at work
10.	on duty at work

[C13: from Anglo-French dueté, from Old French deudue]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

duty

c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. duete, from O.Fr. deu "due, owed," from V.L. *debutus, from L. debitus, pp. of debere "to owe." Related: Duties. The sense of "tax or fee in imports, exports, etc." is from late 15c.; duty-free as a noun is attested from 1958.

American Heritage

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