duty

noun
dyōōtē

That which one is morally or legally obligated to do.

Example

“Do your duty by me! -No, we don't have a duty to keep you abreast.”

Other meanings

The state of being at work and responsible for or doing a particular task.
“I’m on duty from 6 pm to 6 am.”
An excise tax; especially, one on imports or exports.

Antonyms

duty-free

Related words

report for duty
call of duty
countervailing duty
do one's duty
duty ace
duty bound
duty card
duty man
duty manager
duty of support
duty officer
duty roster

Example sentences

“Resistance is a duty to the homeland.”
Tatoeba · Igider · CC0
“You have a duty not to comply with an unlawful order.”
Tatoeba · Miktsoanit · CC0

Word history

From Middle English "-te".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “duty” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.