Dures

Dures is the feminine plural form of the French adjective dur, meaning hard, tough, or durable. It agrees with feminine plural nouns, as in des surfaces dures or des conditions dures, and it can describe physical hardness, severity of conditions, or resilience depending on the context.

Origin and Grammar: The masculine form is dur, the feminine singular is dure, and the feminine plural is dures. The word derives from Latin durus and has cognates in other Romance languages as well as the English word durable. In modern French, dure and dures are used to describe objects, environments, or situations that are physically hard, demanding, or harsh.

Examples: Common usages include des surfaces dures (hard surfaces), des conditions dures (harsh conditions), and épreuves dures (tough trials). The sense of the word can emphasize material hardness, difficulty, or endurance, depending on how it is applied.

Other uses: In addition to its adjectival role, Dures may appear as a surname or a placename in French-speaking regions, and when capitalized it functions as a proper noun rather than the ordinary adjective.

See also: For related terms, see dur, dure, and the concept of durability in French and related Romance languages.