English Lexicon

Delay

/dɪˈleɪ/
nounverbCEFR B1 (Intermediate)Top #800 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A period of time by which something is delayed or late.

    "There was a twenty-minute delay on the train line."
As verb
  1. 1

    Make (someone or something) late or slow.

    "The heavy traffic delayed our arrival."

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Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'delay' originates from the Middle English 'delaien', which is derived from the Old French 'delaier', meaning 'to hinder or postpone'. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin 'differre', which means 'to carry apart' or 'to postpone'. Over time, the meaning has evolved to encompass both the act of postponing and the state of being postponed.

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