Inflected forms: pl. du·ties 1. An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion: Do your duty to your country.2a. Moral obligation: acting out of duty.b. The compulsion felt to meet such obligation. 3. A service, function, or task assigned to one, especially in the armed forces: hazardous duty.4. Function or work; service: jury duty. See synonyms at function. 5. A tax charged by a government, especially on imports. 6a. The work performed by a machine under specified conditions. b. A measure of efficiency expressed as the amount of work done per unit of energy used. 7. The total volume of water required to irrigate a given area in order to cultivate a specific crop until harvest.
IDIOMS:
duty bound Obliged: You are duty bound to help your little sister and brother.off duty Not engaged in or responsible for assigned work. on duty Engaged in or responsible for assigned work.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English duete, from Anglo-Norman, from due, variant of Old French deu, due. See due.
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