Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Duration has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
the period of time during which something continues
"The duration of the storm was surprisingly short, lasting less than an hour before the skies cleared up again."
the property of enduring or continuing in time
"The duration of her patience was tested when the elevator remained stuck for over an hour."
An amount of time or a particular time interval.
"The duration of the concert was exactly three hours, so we had plenty of time to grab dinner afterwards."
In plain English: Duration is the amount of time something lasts from start to finish.
"The duration of the meeting was exactly one hour."
Usage: Use duration to describe the length of time something lasts or the specific interval between two points. It refers strictly to how long an event continues rather than when it occurs.
The word duration entered English through the path of Middle English and Old French before arriving from Medieval Latin. It originally referred to the length or extent of time something continues.