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Synonyms

diligence

1 American  
[dil-i-juhns] / ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns /

noun

  1. constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

  2. Law. the degree of care and caution required by the circumstances of a person.

  3. Obsolete. care; caution.

diligence 2 American  
[dil-i-juhns, dee-lee-zhahns] / ˈdɪl ɪ dʒəns, di liˈʒɑ̃s /

noun

plural

diligences

  1. a public stagecoach, especially as formerly used in France.

diligence 1 British  
/ ˈdɪlɪdʒəns /

noun

  1. steady and careful application

  2. proper attention or care

  3. law the degree of care required in a given situation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
diligence 2 British  
/ diliʒɑ̃s, ˈdɪlɪdʒəns /

noun

  1. history a stagecoach

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of diligence1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English deligence, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīligentia, equivalent to dīligent- (stem of dīligēns ) diligent ( def. ) + -ia; -ence ( def. )

Origin of diligence2

First recorded in 1735–45; short for French carosse de diligence “speed coach”

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.