abeyance
noun/əˈbeɪəns/
/əˈbeɪəns/
Word Originlate 16th cent. (in the legal sense): from Old French abeance ‘aspiration to a title’, from abeer ‘aspire after’, from a- ‘towards’ + beer ‘to gape’.
[uncountable]Idioms Idioms
See abeyance in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryin abeyance
- (formal) not being used, or being stopped for a period of time
- Legal proceedings are in abeyance, while further enquiries are made.
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abeyance