durance vile
- noun
- /ˈdʌrəns vaɪl/
- Archaic
- The soldiers spoke of their time in durance vile as a test of endurance that changed them forever.
Examples
-
The hero's quest was to free the captive princess from her durance vile, hidden away in a dark dungeon.
-
"Rescuing the fair maid from terror and durance vile," Cleta said.
Fiction book (1995) -
And the times we've been incarcerated... in durance vile!
-
After his wrongful conviction, he endured a long period of durance vile in prison.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A long time spent as a prisoner
A time when someone is kept as a prisoner and not free
Cruel treatment of people or animals
Antonyms
How Harsh
- Offensive
582
5.7
- Archaic
- Archaic
1
9.9
- Formal
88
4.0
80
5.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense is directly compositional: 'durance' (a prolonged state of imprisonment) combined with 'vile' (ignoble or harsh) yields the meaning 'harsh/ignoble imprisonment' given in the headword. Although the phrase is archaic and uses a postpositive adjective form, the overall meaning is transparent to a learner who already knows both constituents.
Etymology
The phrase durance vile comes from old law words where durance meant 'imprisonment for a long time' and vile meant 'cruel' or 'low'. The picture of a person kept in a harsh prison explains why durance vile now means long, harsh imprisonment or suffering.