duration

American  

[doo-rey-shuhn, dyoo-] / dʊˈreɪ ʃən, dyʊ- /

noun

1. the length of time something continues or exists (often used withthe ).

2. continuance in time.

3. (in the philosophy of Bergson) a temporal continuum, intuitively known, within which the élan vital operates.

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duration British  

/ djʊˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the length of time that something lasts or continues

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Other Word Forms

• durational adjective

Etymology

Origin of duration

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin dūrātiōn-, stem of dūrātiō, from Latin dūrāt(us) “lasted” (past participle of dūrāre “to last”; dure ² ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

Using the duration of that crossing and computer models of the system, researchers estimated the planet's likely orbital period.

From Science Daily

That creates a potentially nasty combination for the bond’s price because of a concept called duration—how distant most of its promised cash flows are.

From The Wall Street Journal

England will then head to Kansas City, where they will be based at the Soccer Swope Village for the duration of the tournament.

From Barron's

One way bond investors measure risk is duration, the time it takes for a bond to pay back the original investment.

From The Wall Street Journal

In “Bloody Crowns,” Mr. Livingston is more controversial, contesting the conflict’s traditional duration by stretching it even further to become the “Two Hundred Years War.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• continuation
• extent
• period
• span