different between duty vs licence

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

Etymology

From Old French licence, from Latin licentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la?s?ns/
• Hyphenation: li?cence

Noun

licence (countable and uncountable, plural licences)

1. (Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand) Standard spelling of license.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

licence (third-person singular simple present licences, present participle licencing, simple past and past participle licenced)

1. (Britain, Canada, South Africa, nonstandard) Alternative form of license

Usage notes

• In British English, Canadian English, Irish English, Australian English, South African English, and New Zealand English the noun is spelled licence and the verb is license.
• The spelling licence is not used for either part of speech in the United States.

Translations

Czech

Etymology

From Latin licentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?.tsen.tse/

Noun

licence f

1. licence (UK), license (US)

Declension

Further reading

• licence in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• licence in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin licentia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /li.s??s/
• Rhymes: -??s
• Homophone: licences

Noun

licence f (plural licences)

1. licence
2. permit, certificate
3. (education) bachelor's degree (more accurately in France Bac+3)
4. (somewhat archaic) licence: excessive or undue freedom or liberty

Derived terms

• licencier
  • licenciement
• licencieux

Related terms

• loisir

Descendants

• ? Turkish: lisans

Further reading

• “licence” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Hungarian

Etymology

licenc +? -e (possessive suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?lit?s?nt?s?]
• Hyphenation: li?cen?ce

Noun

licence

1. third-person singular single-possession possessive of licenc

Declension

Old French

Noun

licence f (oblique plural licences, nominative singular licence, nominative plural licences)

1. leave; permission to be away, to be not present

Descendants

• French: licence
• ? English: licence, license