delay
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Middle English delaien from Anglo-Norman delaier from Old French deslaier from des- + laier "to leave", of Germanic origin--a conflation of Frankish *latjan "to delay, hinder" (from Proto-Germanic *latjan (“‘to delay, hinder, stall’”) from Proto-Indo-European *le(i)d- (“‘to leave, leave behind’”)) and Frankish *laibjan "to leave" (from Proto-Germanic *laibijan-, laibián- (“‘to leave, cause to stay’”) from Proto-Indo-European *leip- (“‘to remain, continue’”)). Akin to Old English latian "to delay, hesitate" (from Old English latu "a delay, a hindrance"), Old English lǣfan "to leave". More at let, leave
[edit] Pronunciation
-
- Rhymes: -eɪ
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
delay (plural delays)
- previously unexpected period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying.
[edit] Translations
[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to delay (third-person singular simple present delays, present participle delaying, simple past and past participle delayed)
[edit] Usage notes
- This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
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[edit] External links
- delay in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- delay in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
