Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

abeyance

 - 5 dictionary results
Ask a Lawyer: Abeyance
12 Lawyers Are Online. Ask a Question, Get an Answer ASAP.
JustAnswer.com/Law/Abeyance

a⋅bey⋅ance

  [uh-bey-uhns]
Use abeyance in a Sentence
–noun
1. temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension: Let's hold that problem in abeyance for a while.
2. Law. a state or condition of real property in which title is not as yet vested in a known titleholder: an estate in abeyance.
Origin:
1520–30; < AF; OF abeance aspiration, lit., a gaping at or toward. See a- 5 , bay 2 , -ance

Synonyms:
1. remission, deferral.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To abeyance
Ask a Lawyer: Abeyance
12 Lawyers Are Online. Ask a Question, Get an Answer ASAP.
JustAnswer.com/Law/Abeyance
a·bey·ance   (ə-bā'əns)   
n.  

  1. The condition of being temporarily set aside; suspension: held the plan in abeyance.

  2. Law A condition of undetermined ownership, as of an estate that has not yet been assigned.


[Anglo-Norman, variant of Old French abeance, desire, from abaer, to gape at : a-, at (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + baer, to gape; see bay2.]
a·bey'ant adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

abeyance 
1528, from Anglo-Fr. abeiance "suspension," also "expectation (especially in a lawsuit)," from O.Fr. abeance "aspiration, desire," noun of condition of abeer "aspire after, gape" from à "at" + ba(y)er "be open," from L. *batare "to yawn, gape" (see abash). Originally in O.Fr. a legal term, "condition of a person in expectation or hope of receiving property;" it turned around in Eng. law to mean "condition of property temporarily without an owner" (1660). Root baer is also the source of English bay (2) "recessed space," as in "bay window."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: abey·ance
Pronunciation: &-'bA-&ns
Function: noun
Etymology: 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.>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: abey·ance
Pronunciation: &-'bA-&n(t)s
Function: noun
: temporary inactivity or suspension (as of function or a symptom)<abeyance of the subjective noises in the head —Journal of the American Medical Association>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see abeyance on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way