different between duty vs enterprise

English

Etymology

From Middle English duete, from Middle English dewe) + Middle English -te, (borrowed from Old French -te from Latin -t?tem, accusative masculine singular of -t?s). Akin to due + -ty (Alternative form of -ity).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?dju?ti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /du?ti/
• Rhymes: -u?ti
• Homophone: doody (for some speakers)

Noun

duty (countable and uncountable, plural duties)

1. That which one is morally or legally obligated to do.
   • 1805, 21 October, Horatio Nelson

     England expects that every man will do his duty.

   • Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.
2. The state of being at work and responsible for or doing a particular task.

3. A tax placed on imports or exports; a tariff.

   customs duty; excise duty

4. (obsolete) One's due, something one is owed; a debt or fee.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew XX:

     Take that which is thy duty, and goo thy waye.

5. (obsolete) Respect; reverence; regard; act of respect; homage.
6. The efficiency of an engine, especially a steam pumping engine, as measured by work done by a certain quantity of fuel; usually, the number of pounds of water lifted one foot by one bushel of coal (94 lbs. old standard), or by 1 cwt. (112 lbs., England, or 100 lbs., United States).

Usage notes

• Adjectives often used with "duty": public, private, moral, legal, social, double, civic, contractual, political, judicial, etc.

Synonyms

• (that which one is obligated to do): obligation

Antonyms

• duty-free (taxes)
• (that which one is obligated to do): right

Derived terms

Related terms

• due

Translations

Further reading

• duty in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• duty in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• duty at OneLook Dictionary Search

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?dut?]

Participle

duty

1. past passive participle of du?

Declension

English

Alternative forms

• enterprize (chiefly archaic)
• entreprise (chiefly archaic)

Etymology

From Old French via Middle English and Middle French entreprise, feminine past participle of entreprendre (“to undertake”), from entre (“in between”) + prendre (“to take”), from Latin inter + prehend?, see prehensile.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??nt??p?a?z/
• Hyphenation: en?ter?prise

Noun

enterprise (countable and uncountable, plural enterprises)

1. A company, business, organization, or other purposeful endeavor.

   The government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are a group of financial services corporations which have been created by the United States Congress.

   A micro-enterprise is defined as a business having 5 or fewer employees and a low seed capital.

2. An undertaking, venture, or project, especially a daring and courageous one.

   Biosphere 2 was a scientific enterprise aimed at the exploration of the complex web of interactions within life systems.

3. (uncountable) A willingness to undertake new or risky projects; energy and initiative.

   He has shown great enterprise throughout his early career.

   • 1954, Philip Larkin, Continuing to Live

     This loss of interest, hair, and enterprise — / Ah, if the game were poker, yes, / You might discard them, draw a full house! / But it's chess.

4. (uncountable) Active participation in projects. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Synonyms

• initiative

Derived terms

• enterprising
• commercial enterprise
• scientific enterprise

Translations

Verb

enterprise (third-person singular simple present enterprises, present participle enterprising, simple past and past participle enterprised)

1. (intransitive) To undertake an enterprise, or something hazardous or difficult.

   • Charles Mordaunt Earl of Peterborow […] , with only 280 horse and 950 foot , enterprised and accomplished the Conquest of Valentia

2. (transitive) To undertake; to begin and attempt to perform; to venture upon.
   • 1670, John Dryden, The Conquest of Granada

     The business must be enterprised this night.

   • c. 1680, Thomas Otway, letter to Elizabeth Barry

     What would I not renounce or enterprise for you!

3. (transitive) To treat with hospitality; to entertain.

References

• enterprise at OneLook Dictionary Search
• enterprise in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• enterprise in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• entreprise