durance

[ doo r-uh ns, dyoo r- ]
/ ˈdʊər əns, ˈdyʊər- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR durance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

incarceration or imprisonment (often used in the phrase durance vile).
Archaic. endurance.

Origin of durance

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French. See dure2, -ance

Words nearby durance

dural sheath, dural sinus, duralumin, duramen, duran, durance, durand, durango, durant, durante, durante vita

Words related to durance

isolation, confinement, captivity, incarceration, custody, bondage, imprisonment, slavery, thralldom, restraint, quarantine, duress, remand, thraldom, enthrallment, constraint, jail, enslavement, entombment, servitude

Example sentences from the Web for durance

British Dictionary definitions for durance (1 of 2)

durance
/ (ˈdjʊərəns) /

noun archaic, or literary

imprisonment
duration

Word Origin for durance

C15: from Old French, from durer to last, from Latin dūrāre

British Dictionary definitions for durance (2 of 2)

Durance
/ (French dyrɑ̃s) /

noun

a river in S France, rising in the Alps and flowing generally southwest into the Rhône. Length: 304 km (189 miles)