Durance
/ˈdjʊə.rəns/noun
Confinement or imprisonment, especially in the phrase “in durance vile.”
Did you know?English got this word through Old French from Latin *durare* (“to last, endure”), so its oldest core is about something that keeps going — even when that “something” is your captivity.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
durare
“to last, endure, or harden”
Old French
OF
durance
“endurance; lastingness; also confinement or imprisonment”
Middle English
English
duraunce
“endurance, continuance; later, imprisonment”
16th Century
English
durance
“confinement, especially imprisonment”
Modern English
English
durance
“confinement or imprisonment, chiefly in literary or historical use”