See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com. noun. 1. a written promise to pay a specified sum of money to a designated person or to his or her order, or to the bearer of the note, at a fixed time or on demand. 2. a written promise to do or provide something, usually presented as a gift and claimable when or however the recipient chooses.
DEFINITION of 'Duration'. A measure of the sensitivity of the price (the value of principal) of a fixed-income investment to a change in interest rates. Duration is expressed as a number of years. Rising interest rates mean falling bond prices, while declining interest rates mean rising bond prices.
Duration is determined by calculating the present value of the principal and each coupon and then multiplying each result by the period of time before payment is to occur. The concept of duration is used to relate the sensitivity of bond price changes to changes in interest rates. Also called mean term.