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due (d, dy)
Share:
adj.
1. Payable immediately or on demand.
2. Owed as a debt; owing: the amount still due.
3. In accord with right, convention, or courtesy; appropriate: due esteem; all due respect.
4. Meeting special requirements; sufficient: We have due cause to honor them.
5.
a. Expected or scheduled, especially appointed to arrive: Their plane is due in 15 minutes.
b. Expected to give birth.
6.
a. Anticipated; looked for: a long due promotion.
b. Expecting or ready for something as part of a normal course or sequence: We're due for some rain. This batter is due for another hit.
c. Entitled to: I always give people the respect that they are due.
7. Capable of being attributed. See Usage Note at due to.
n.
1. Something owed or deserved: You finally received your due.
2. dues A charge or fee for membership, as in a club or organization.
adv.
1. Straight; directly: Go due west.
2. Archaic Duly.

[Middle English, from Old French deu, past participle of devoir, to owe, from Latin dēbēre; see ghabh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.