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demur - 7 dictionary results

de⋅mur

  [di-mur] verb, -murred, -mur⋅ring, noun
Use demur in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to make objection, esp. on the grounds of scruples; take exception; object: They wanted to make him the treasurer, but he demurred.
2. Law. to interpose a demurrer.
3. Archaic. to linger; hesitate.
–noun
4. the act of making objection.
5. an objection raised.
6. hesitation.
7. Law. Obsolete. a demurrer.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME demuren < AF demurer, OF demorer < L dēmorārī to linger, equiv. to dē- de- + morārī to delay, deriv. of mora delay

Related forms:
de⋅mur⋅ra⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
5. scruple, qualm, misgiving.

Antonyms:
1. agree, accede.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To demur
de·mur   (dĭ-mûr')   
intr.v.   de·murred, de·mur·ring, de·murs
  1. To voice opposition; object: demurred at the suggestion. See Synonyms at object.
  2. Law To enter a demurrer.
  3. To delay.
n.  
  1. The act of demurring.
  2. An objection.
  3. A delay.

[Middle English demuren, to delay, from Anglo-Norman demurer, from Latin dēmorārī : dē-, de- + morārī, to delay (from mora, delay).]
de·mur'ra·ble 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.
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Demur

De*mur"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Demurred; p. pr. & vb. n. Demurring.] [OF. demurer, demorer, demourer, to linger, stay, F. demeurer, fr. L. demorari; de- + morari to delay, tarry, stay, mora delay; prob. originally, time for thinking, reflection, and akin to memor mindful. See Memory.]

1. To linger; to stay; to tarry. [Obs.]

Yet durst not demur nor abide upon the camp. --Nicols.

2. To delay; to pause; to suspend proceedings or judgment in view of a doubt or difficulty; to hesitate; to put off the determination or conclusion of an affair.

Upon this rub, the English embassadors thought fit to demur. --Hayward.

3. To scruple or object; to take exception; as, I demur to that statement.

4. (Law) To interpose a demurrer. See Demurrer, 2.

Demur

De*mur"\, v. t. 1. To suspend judgment concerning; to doubt of or hesitate about. [Obs.]

The latter I demur, for in their looks Much reason, and in their actions, oft appears. --Milton.

2. To cause delay to; to put off. [Obs.]

He demands a fee, And then demurs me with a vain delay. --Quarles.

Demur

De*mur"\, n. [OF. demor, demore, stay, delay. See Demur, v. i.] Stop; pause; hesitation as to proceeding; suspense of decision or action; scruple.

All my demurs but double his attacks; At last he whispers, "Do; and we go snacks." --Pope.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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demur  (v.)
c.1225, "to linger, tarry," from O.Fr. demorer "delay, retard," from L. demorari, from de- + morari "to delay," from mora "a pause, delay." Main modern sense of "raise objections" is first attested 1639.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: de·mur
Pronunciation: di-'m&r
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: de·murred; de·mur·ring
: to interpose a demurrer <demur to the declaration> —de·mur·ra·ble adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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