World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesDuty
/ˈduː.ti/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A moral or legal obligation; a responsibility that someone is required to fulfill.
"It is the duty of the police to protect the community." - 2
A tax levied on certain goods, especially imports.
"Passengers must pay customs duty on luxury items brought into the country."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from Old Northern French 'deute', from Vulgar Latin *debitita, meaning 'things owed', based on Latin 'debere' (to owe). Over centuries, the term evolved from a strictly financial obligation to a moral and professional imperative.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Duty"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Duty" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
devoir
Transliteration: dəvwaʁ
"C'est notre devoir de l'aider."
Pflicht
Transliteration: pflɪçt
"Es ist deine Pflicht, pünktlich zu sein."
dovere
Transliteration: doˈveːre
"Il nostro dovere è servire il pubblico."
deber
Transliteration: deˈβeɾ
"Cumplió con su deber hacia la patria."
dever
Transliteration: deˈveɾ
"É nosso dever proteger o meio ambiente."
कर्तव्य
Transliteration: kartavya
"अपने देश की सेवा करना हमारा कर्तव्य है।"
责任
Transliteration: zérèn
"这是我们共同的责任。"
의무
Transliteration: uimu
"국민에게는 납세의 의무가 있습니다."
義務
Transliteration: gimu
"それは市民としての義務です。"
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