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Duress vs Compel - What's the difference?

duress | compel |

In obsolete|lang=en terms the difference between duress and compel

is that duress is (obsolete) harsh treatment while compel is (obsolete) to call forth; to summon.

As verbs the difference between duress and compel

is that duress is to put under ; to pressure while compel is (transitive|archaic|literally) to drive together, round up.

As a noun duress

is (obsolete) harsh treatment.

duress

English

Noun

(-)
  • (obsolete) Harsh treatment.
  • * Burke
    • The agreements made with the landlords during the time of slavery, are only the effect of duress and force.
  • Constraint by threat.
  • (legal) The state of compulsion or necessity in which a person is influenced, whether by the unlawful restraint of his liberty or by actual or threatened physical violence, to incur a civil liability or to commit an offence.

    • Verb

    (es)
  • To put under ; to pressure.
    • Someone was duressing her.
    The small nation was duressed into giving up territory.

    Anagrams

    *

    compel

    English

    Verb

  • (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (rfex)
  • To overpower; to subdue.
  • * 1917 , , King Coal , ch. 16,
    • She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.
  • To force, constrain or coerce.
    • Logic compels''' the wise, while fools feel '''compelled by emotions.
  • * 1600 , , Julius Caesar , act 5, sc. 1,
    • Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.
  • * Hallam
    • Wolsey compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.
  • To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Commissions, which compel from each / The sixth part of his substance.
  • * 1912 , , Sky Island , ch. 14,
    • The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjust grievances and to compel order.
  • (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.
  • * Dryden
    • Easy sleep their weary limbs compelled .
  • * Tennyson
    • I compel all creatures to my will.
  • (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.
  • * Dryden
    • in one troop compelled
  • (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.
  • * Spenser
    • She had this knight from far compelled .
    (Chapman)

    Derived terms

    * compellable * compeller * compelling * compellation * compel testimony

    References

    * * * Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary , 1987-1996. English control verbs English transitive verbs