Word of the Day
June 23, 2023
Abeyance
Temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension. In law, the state of property whose title has not been vested in a known title holder.
From Old French 'abeance' meaning expectation, from 'abeer' meaning to gape or aspire after, ultimately from Latin 'badare' meaning to gape.
Usage Examples
- She held her breath in abeyance as the wind rushed through her home.
- Government has shown nothing but abeyance on dealing with our debt problem.
- The constitutional question remained in abeyance until the courts could rule.
From the Show
The word abeyance emerged during Kim Monson’s discussion of the severe tornado weather that struck the Denver metro area. She crafted the example ‘she held her breath in abeyance as the wind rushed through her home’ to describe a friend whose windows were blown out by the storm. Producer Steve contributed his own example about government inaction on debt, demonstrating how this word of temporary suspension applies to both personal and political contexts. Hear the full segment in Listen to the full episode.