delay
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[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 *latjanan (“to delay, hinder, stall”), from Proto-Indo-European *le(i)d- (“to leave, leave behind”)) and Frankish *laibjan (“to leave”) (from Proto-Germanic *laibijanan (“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
delay (plural delays)
- previously unexpected period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying.
[edit] Translations
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[edit] Verb
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
