English Meaning & Definitions
A state of temporary disuse, suspension, or inactivity.
- “The project was held in abeyance until the committee could secure additional funding.”
- “Matters of policy were kept in abeyance while the board focused on the immediate crisis.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “abeyance”.
Derived from the Anglo-Norman 'abeyance', from the Old French 'abeance' meaning 'expectation' or 'gaping', from 'abéer' (to gape, to wait expectantly). It originally referred to a state of expectation or waiting, particularly in legal contexts where a title or property was not currently vested in anyone.
Think of 'a-bay-ance' as 'a bay' (a gap) in the water where ships are held in waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions About “abeyance”
1. What is the meaning of “abeyance” in English?
In English, abeyance (noun) is defined as: “A state of temporary disuse, suspension, or inactivity.”.
2. How do you use “abeyance” in a sentence?
“The project was held in abeyance until the committee could secure additional funding.”
3. What are English synonyms of “abeyance”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “abeyance”?
Derived from the Anglo-Norman 'abeyance', from the Old French 'abeance' meaning 'expectation' or 'gaping', from 'abéer' (to gape, to wait expectantly). It originally referred to a state of expectation or waiting, particularly in legal contexts where a title or property was not currently vested in anyone.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.