English Dictionary: abeyance | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for abeyance | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Abeyance \A*bey"ance\, n. [OF. abeance expectation, longing; a (L. ad) + baer, beer, to gape, to look with open mouth, to expect, F. bayer, LL. badare to gape.] 1. (Law) Expectancy; condition of being undetermined. Note: When there is no person in existence in whom an inheritance (or a dignity) can vest, it is said to be in abeyance, that is, in expectation; the law considering it as always potentially existing, and ready to vest whenever a proper owner appears. --Blackstone. 2. Suspension; temporary suppression. Keeping the sympathies of love and admiration in a dormant state, or state of abeyance. --De Quincey. |