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Showing results for durance. Search instead for durances.
Synonyms

durance

American  
[door-uhns, dyoor-] / ˈdʊər əns, ˈdyʊər- /

noun

  1. incarceration or imprisonment (often used in the phrasedurance vile ).

  2. Archaic. endurance.

durance 1 British  
/ ˈdjʊərəns /

noun

  1. imprisonment

  2. duration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Durance 2 British  
/ dyrɑ̃s /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of durance

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French. See dure 2, -ance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And I said: My dear, I have been in durance vile.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022

She possesses spunk, stamina and en durance, but she lacks the strength of parity.

From Time Magazine Archive

But durance has been considerably less vile for the eleven G.I.s held by Cambodia since their landing craft strayed out of Vietnamese waters July 17.

From Time Magazine Archive

Take them out of durance vile and put them both to work at the airport.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was the probation, the durance; they all three accepted it; I dont believe there was ever any promise between Henry and Bon demanded or offered.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.