Duree

Duree, or durée in French, is a noun that denotes the length of time something lasts. It is used to express how long an event, process, or state continues, and it appears in everyday language as well as in law, science, philosophy, and the arts. In French, phrases such as la durée de vie (lifetime) or la durée d’un film (runtime) are common, and contracts distinguish between durée déterminée (fixed term) and durée indéterminée (open ended).

Etymology and usage: The word derives from Old French duree, from Latin duratio, based on durare, meaning to last. The modern spelling with a circumflex reflects historical changes in pronunciation. In ordinary speech, durée can modify time expressions to specify the temporal extent of an activity or obligation.

Philosophical significance: In philosophy, particularly in the work of Henri Bergson, durée refers to subjective time—the qualitative, flowing experience of time as opposed to measurable clock time. This concept contrasts with the mechanistic view of time as a sequence of equal units.

Linguistic and artistic contexts: In linguistics, durée indicates the temporal length of sounds or syllables. In music, performing arts, and film, durée designates the duration of notes, phrases, scenes, or entire works, corresponding to what is commonly called duration or runtime in English.

Computing and data: In computing and data management, duration represents elapsed time between two points or the length of a scheduled interval, often expressed in units such as seconds, minutes, or hours.

Overall, durée is a versatile term related to time length, applied across disciplines to measure and describe how long things persist.