Definition of "devoir" [de•voir]

• An act or expression of respect or courtesy; civility. Often used in the plural: pay one's devoirs. (noun)
• Duty or responsibility. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Sir, of your valliance you should have held to your good vow, -- quoth the damozel, for now you see me sore perplexed and that you did not your devoir is my affliction."
• "'Help is needed there,' cried the kind heart just now, and then the blood did its 'devoir'."
• "Now consider, first, the difference in their influence over the armies of France, between the ancient word "devoir," and modern word "gloire.""