Legal Dictionary
Main Entry:
abey·ancePronunciation:
&-'bA-&nsFunction:
nounEtymology: Middle French
abeance expectation (of a title or claimant), from
abaer to expect, from
a-, prefix stressing result +
baer to gape, aim at
1 : a lapse in the succession of property during which there is no person in whom title to the property is vested —usually used with
in abeyance>
2 : temporary inactivity or suppression : cessation or suspension for a period of time —usually used with in or into abeyance —J. H. Friedenthal et al.>