“duty” in Latin

That to which a man is bound, officium: debitum officium (any obligation, as a mark or expression of gratitude or acknowledgement for benefits or favors received, especially with reference to the social relations of the citizens of the Roman republic. It consequently differs from our notion of “moral duty,” but may be, from the nature of the case, a near approach to it, e.g., Quintilian calls the office of Aristotle, as preceptor to Alexander, officium, and such a post implies moral obligations; it is also the regular term for the duties of an office, officium legationis, Caes., B. C. 3, 183. ☞ Cic., Fam., 13, 9, 2): debitum (duty as a moral obligation): religio (from religious feelings or conscientiousness): pietas (duty with reference to anything that ought to be sacred to us or venerated; e.g., God, our country, sovereign, parents, etc., compare B.G., 7, 27; Cic., Phil., 14, 13, 6; Suet., Cal., 1): munus: partes (the duty incumbent on anybody from his position or function; also officium, Vid: above): a perfect duty, recte factum (in a stoical sense); officium absolutum: duties of a functionary or servant of the state, munia: it is anybody’s duty, est alicujus officium, or munus, or merely est alicujus (with this distinction: officium or munus est = it is obligatory upon him as a part of his prescribed or expected duties; whereas est alicujus is more nearly = decet aliquem, it becomes him, makes for his credit, honour, etc.). It is the duty of a stranger not to interfere in other people’s business, peregrini officium est, nihil de alio inquirere: it is the duty of sovereigns to resist the fickleness of the populace, principum munus est resistere levitati multitudinis (in these instances officium and munus are essential to convey the meaning): it is the duty of (= behooves) the young to show respect to their elders, est adolescentis, majores natu revereri: it is my duty, meum officium, or munus est, or meum est (with the distinction just explained): I considered it my duty, esse officium meum putavi, or meum esse putavi (with the same distinction): it is your duty, tuum est; tuae sunt partes (Cic.): to do one’s duty, officium facere or praestare; officio fungi; officio satisfacere; officio suo non deesse: nullam partem officii deserere; officium exsequi (☞ seldom, and never in Cic.: officium explere or officii partes implere); officium servare, or conservare, or colere, or facere et colere, or tueri: to neglect or not do one’s duty, to fail in one’s duty, officium suum non facere; ab officio discedere or recedere; de or ab officio decedere; officio suo deesse; officium praetermittere, negligere, or deserere: to act contrary to duty in anything, ab religione officii in aliqua re decinare: to do one’s duty toward anybody, alicui officium praestare: to act more or less against the rule of duty, plures aut pauciores quasi officii numeros praeterire; to be willing to suffer anything rather than act contrary to duty, dolores quosvis suscipere malle, quam ullam partem officii deserere: to act from a principle of duty, and not from interested motives, officium sequi, non fructum: to be somewhat slow, careless, etc., in the fulfillment of one’s duty, in officio cessare or claudicare (Liv., 45, 23; Cic., Off., 1, 33, 119): to do one’s duty toward everybody, nullum munus officii cuiquam reliquum facere: to neglect or deviate from one’s duty, officium violaro or comminuere: I will not fail in my duty, partes meae non desiderabuntur (Cic.): to go beyond one’s duty, excedere officii sui partes: to remain faithful to one’s duty, in officio manere: to keep anybody (e.g., subjects) in their duty (= in obedience), aliquem in officio continere: to extend the limits of one’s duties too far, fines officiorum paullo longius proferre: Vid: Cic., Muren., 31, 65 (☞ not extendere): the last duties, suprema officia: to pay the last duty to anybody, supremo in aliquem officio fungi, supremum officium in aliquem celebrare (the latter only of several persons, Curt. 3, 12, 11 and 14); usually justa alicui facere, or praestare, or persolvere: from a feeling of duty, religiose, pietate: contrary to duty, *ab officio discrepans; *officio repugnans: against one’s duty, praeter officium; contra jus fasque (the latter denoting violation of the moral law): according to one’s duty, recte; juste; juste ac legitime (e.g., to act, agere): in duty bound (e.g., anybody is), est alicujus officium or munus; Vid: the remark above as to this phrase and “est alicujus.”

Impost, vectlgal (general term): portorium (import or export duty, excise duty): to pay the duty, vectigal pendere; portorium dare: to lay a duty on anything, vectigal, portorium imponere alicui rei: to raise a duty (on such and such an article), vectigal, portorium exigere: Duty free (of exports or imports), † immunis portorii: anything may be exported free from, or without paying, duty, sine portorio exportare.

To be on duty (as a soldier), stationem or excubias agere (Tac.); excubare (Cic.).