respite

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respite

/ˈɹɛsˌpaɪt/ UK
/ˈɹɛs.pɪt/ UK
/ˈɹɛs.pɪt/ US

Where it comes from

From Anglo-Norman and Old French respit (“rest”), from Latin respectus. Doublet of respect.

noun respites

countable, uncountable A brief interval of rest or relief. I crave but four day's respite.
Similar: hiatus, moratorium, recess, break, breather, cessation, demurral, gap, caesura, halt, halting, interregnum
countable, uncountable A reprieve, especially from a sentence of death. Thenne spake sir gawayn and sayd my lord Arthur I wold counceylle yow not to be ouer hasty but that ye wold putte it in respyte this Iugement of my lady the quene for many causes. "Then spake Sir Gawaine, and said: My lord Arthur, I would counsel you not to be over-hasty, but that ye would put it in
countable, uncountable The delay of appearance at court granted to a jury beyond the proper term.
countable, uncountable A short period of spoken dialogue in an otherwise sung-through musical.

verb respites · respiting · respited

transitive To delay or postpone (an event).
transitive To allow (a person) extra time to fulfil some obligation.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: relief, abatement, hiatus, suspension, reprieve, recess, break, rest, time out, rest period, pause, lull, relax, letup, delay, postponement

Translations

Every language

noun brief interval of rest or relief

Español	pausa, descanso, respiro, alivio, solaz
中文	暂缓 zànhuǎn
Português	trégua
Français	répit
Deutsch	Aufschub, Frist, Atempause, Bedenkzeit
Italiano	tregua
Русский	переды́шка peredýška, отсро́чка otsróčka
العربية	مُتَنَفَّس mutanaffas

noun (law) reprieve, especially from a sentence of death

中文	缓刑 huǎnxíng
Deutsch	Strafvollstreckungsaufschub, Strafaufschub
Русский	отсро́чка otsróčka

noun (law) delay of appearance at court granted to a jury beyond the proper term

Deutsch	Aussetzung des Verfahrens, Verhandlungsaufschub
Русский	отсро́чка otsróčka

verb (transitive) To delay or postpone

Español	atrasar, postergar
中文	暂缓 zànhuǎn
Deutsch	aufschieben, verschieben
Русский	отсро́чивать otsróčivatʹ, отсро́чить otsróčitʹ

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MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX

@misc{respite_2026,
  title = {respite},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/respite},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}