Dutious

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Archaic term for someone who faithfully carries out the obligations and respect owed to others
2. An old-fashioned way of describing a person who is loyal and conscientious in fulfilling their responsibilities
3. Describing a person who is reverent and faithful in meeting the duties expected of them

Etymology: "Dutious" is an older, now largely abandoned form of "dutiful." It is built from "duty" plus the suffix "-ous," the same ending found in "bounteous" or "virtuous," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having the quality of." A dutious person is therefore one full of duty. The noun underneath has a more striking history. "Duty" came into English from Anglo-Norman, the French used in medieval England, and it is closely tied to "due." Both trace back through Old French to the Latin "debitum," meaning something owed or a debt. So at its root, a duty is simply something you owe someone.