 | WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
| WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
Abeyance
Pronunciation : A*bey"ance
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [OF. abeance expectation, longing; a (L. ad) + baer, beer, to gape, to look with open mouth, to expect, F. bayer, LL. badare to gape.]
Definition : 1. (Law)
Defn: 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.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
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