duress

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French duresse, from Latin duritia (“hardness”), from durus (“hard”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /djʊˈɹɛs/, /d͡ʒʊˈɹɛs/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /duˈɹɛs/
• Rhymes: -ɛs

duress (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) Harsh treatment.
   • 1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC:

     The agreements […] made with the landlords during the time of slavery, are only the effect of duress and force.

2. Constraint by threat.
   • 2023 October 17, Kim Willsher, “Mother of French-Israeli hostage begs for her return as Hamas releases video”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     It is unclear when it was filmed and if she was under duress during filming.

3. (law) Restraint in which a person is influenced, whether by lawful or unlawful forceful compulsion of their liberty by monition or implementation of physical enforcement; legally for the incurring of civil liability, of a citizen's arrest, or of subrogation, or illegally for the committing of an offense, of forcing a contract, or of using threats.

• duress of circumstances

• endure

duress (third-person singular simple present duresses, present participle duressing, simple past and past participle duressed)

1. To put under duress; to pressure.

   Someone was duressing her.

   The small nation was duressed into giving up territory.

• duressor

• Druses, Suders, druses, sudser