From Old French duresse 'hardness, cruelty,' from Latin dūrus 'hard,' acquiring its legal sense of coercion in 15th-century English law.
Threats, violence, or constraint used to compel someone to act against their will, especially as a defense in law.
From Old French duresse 'hardness, harshness, cruelty,' from Latin dūritia 'hardness,' from dūrus 'hard.' The legal sense—coercion that invalidates a contract or confession—emerged in English common law by the 15th century. Key roots: *deru- (Proto-Indo-European: "firm, solid, steadfast (also tree, wood)").