Where does “duty” come from?
Duty comes from Middle English duete, from Middle English dewe, from Middle English dew, from Latin deus through the suffix Latin -inus, ultimately deriving from Latin deus meaning god.
duty (English): That which one is morally or legally obligated to...
Definitions
- That which one is morally or legally obligated to...
Ancestry of “duty”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | duete | A charge, fee, or tax; a monetary sum one is owed... |
| 2 | Middle English | dewe | Alternative form of dew; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old French | deü | Alternative form of deu |
| 4 | Latin | dēbēre | — |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |