お預け

Japanese

Kanji in this term
預
あず Grade: 6
kun’yomi

Etymology

Honorific prefix お (o-) +‎ 預け (azuke, “entrusting, consigning”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 預ける (azukeru, “to entrust or consign something to someone, such as for safekeeping”)).

The senses of o-azuke all derive by extension from the verb's underlying sense of “entrusting”.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おあずけ [òázúké] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [o̞a̠zɨᵝke̞]

Noun

お預(あず)け • (o-azuke) ^{←おあづけ (oaduke)?}

1. a state of being on hold or delayed

   旅(りょ)行(こう)は当(とう)分(ぶん)お預(あず)けになった

   ryokō wa tōbun o-azuke ni natta

   Our trip has been put on hold for some time → Our trip has been delayed for some time.

   お預(あず)けを食(く)う

   o-azuke o kuu

   to eat an entrustment → to be forced to put up with a delay

2. the act of putting a food item or other treat in front of a dog and making the dog wait
3. the act of entrusting a person, especially a prisoner, into the care of someone else for purposes of imprisonment or punishment
4. a person put into the care of someone else
5. (historical) during the Edo period, a daimyo or other retainer of the shogun put into the care of another daimyo's household for purposes of confinement or imprisonment