n. 1.a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces) 2.the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another 3.the act of distributing something to designated places or persons 4.(law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance 5.an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor) 6.the act of putting a person into a non-elective position