reprieve
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
1571, in sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), probably from Middle French repris, form of reprendre (“take back”); cognate to reprise. Sense generalized, but retains connotations of punishment and execution. Noun attested 1598.[1]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
reprieve (third-person singular simple present reprieves, present participle reprieving, simple past and past participle reprieved)
- (transitive) To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution.
- (transitive) To bring relief to someone.
- South
- Company […] may reprieve a man from his melancholy, yet it cannot secure him from his conscience.
- South
- (transitive, obsolete) To take back to prison (in lieu of execution).
Derived terms[edit]
Noun[edit]
reprieve (plural reprieves)
- The cancellation or postponement of a punishment.
- A document authorizing such an action.
- Relief from pain etc., especially temporary.
-
2015 February 24, Daniel Taylor, “Luis Suárez strikes twice as Barcelona teach Manchester City a lesson”, in The Guardian (London)[1]:
- Yet it was not easy, on the balance of play, to be convinced by Pellegrini and his defeated players that the reprieve might somehow be a defining moment over the two legs.
-
Translations[edit]
cancellation of a punishment
|