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abeyance

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abeyance

  • /əˈbeɪ.ən(t)s/

Where it comes from

First attested in 1528. From Anglo-Norman abeiance (“legal expectation”), from Old French abeance (“desire”) from abeër (“to gape at, aspire after”), abaer, abair (“to desire”), from a (“to”) + baër (“to gape”), bair (“yawn”), from Medieval Latin batō (“to yawn”).

noun abeyances

  1. countable, uncountable Expectancy; a condition when an ownership of real property is undetermined; lapse in succession of ownership of estate, or title. The proceeds of the estate shall be held in abeyance in an escrow account until the minor reaches age twenty-one.
  2. countable, uncountable Suspension; temporary suppression; dormant condition. Without a plausible explanation for what might have provoked an ice age, the whole theory fell into abeyance.
  3. countable, uncountable Expectancy of a noble or armigeral title, its right in existence but its exercise suspended. The broad pennant of a commodore first class has been in abeyance since 1958, together with the rank.

Translations

Every language

noun expectancy; condition of being undetermined

Españolexpectativa, esperanza, suspenso
Portuguêspendência
Françaisvacance, vacant
DeutschSchwebezustand, Unentschiedenheit
Русскийсостоя́ние неопределённости sostojánije neopredeljónnosti

noun heraldry: expectancy of a title

Portuguêsvacância, vacatura, vagatura
Françaisvacance

noun suspension; temporary suppression

Españolsuspensión, desuso, suspenso
日本語停止 teishi
Portuguêssuspensão, pendência
Françaissuspension, en suspens
Italianosospensione
Русскийприостановле́ние priostanovlénije

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Cite this
MLA

"abeyance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abeyance. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

abeyance. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abeyance

Chicago

"abeyance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abeyance.

BibTeX
@misc{abeyance_2026,
  title = {abeyance},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abeyance},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}