# duty

Pronunciation: US say "DOO-tee" /ˈduti/; UK say "DYOO-tee" /ˈdjuːti/

## Noun

1. The work a person is expected to carry out in a given job or position, usually spoken of in the plural.
   - Simple: The things a person must do as part of their job or role.
   - _The new manager will take over his duties at the start of next month._
   - _His chief duty as treasurer is keeping the club's accounts in order._
2. Something a person is morally or legally obligated to do.
   - Simple: Something you must do because it is right or required by law.
   - _Every citizen has a duty to obey the law._
   - _She felt a strong duty to care for her aging parents._
3. Being at work and actively carrying out, or in charge of, an assigned task, as when someone is on duty.
   - Simple: The time when you are at work and doing your job.
   - _The officer reported for duty at dawn._
   - _Two guards remained on duty throughout the night._
4. A tax charged on certain goods or transactions, especially on goods that are imported or exported.
   - Simple: A tax on certain goods or sales, especially on goods brought into or sent out of a country.
   - _Importers paid a hefty duty on every shipment of steel._
   - _The government lowered duties on foreign electronics last year._
5. A discreet term for a dog, or sometimes a person, urinating or defecating. *(euphemistic)*
   - Simple: A polite term for peeing or pooping, especially by a dog.
   - _We stood in the rain for ten minutes while the puppy sniffed every bush before finally doing its duty._
   - _Each morning he let the dog out back to perform its duty._

## Noun

6. Something one is owed; a debt or fee. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Something that is owed to a person, such as a debt or fee.
7. Respect, reverence, or an act of homage shown to someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Respect or honor shown to someone.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The work an engine does for each unit of fuel burned, as a measure of its efficiency.

## Origin

From Middle English duete, borrowed from Anglo-Norman dueté, equivalent to "due" plus the suffix "-ty".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/duty (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).