n.
(pl. duties)
- a moral or legal obligation.
- a task required as part of one's job.
▸
(duties)
performance of prescribed church services by a priest or minister.
- a payment levied on the import, export, manufacture, or sale of goods.
▸Brit. a payment levied on the transfer of property, for licences, and for the legal recognition of documents.
- technical the measure of an engine's effectiveness in units of work done per unit of fuel.
Phrase
- do duty as
(or for)
serve or act as a substitute for. - on
(or off)
duty
engaged (or not engaged) in one's regular work.
Etymology
ME: from Anglo-Norman Fr. duete, from OFr. deu (see due).
