DURESS


Meaning of DURESS in English

[ djʊ(ə)'rɛs , 'djʊərɛs ]

■ noun threats, violence, etc. used to coerce a person into doing something.

↘ Law constraint illegally exercised to force someone to perform an act.

Origin

ME (in the sense 'harshness, cruel treatment'): via OFr. from L. duritia , from durus 'hard'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.