respite

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: res=pite

CIDE DICTIONARY

respite, n. [OF. respit, F. répit, from L. respectus respect, regard, delay, in LL., the deferring of a day. See Respect.].

•  A putting off of that which was appointed; a postponement or delay.  [1913 Webster]

  "I crave but four day's respite."  [1913 Webster]
•  Temporary intermission of labor, or of any process or operation; interval of rest; pause; delay.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "Some pause and respite only I require."  [1913 Webster]
•  Temporary suspension of the execution of a capital offender; reprieve.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Pause; interval; stop; cessation; delay; postponement; stay; reprieve.

respite, v. t. [OF. respiter, LL. respectare. See Respite, n.].

 To give or grant a respite to.  [1913 Webster]
"Forty days longer we do respite you."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

respite, n. & v.
--n.
1 an interval of rest or relief.
2 a delay permitted before the discharge of an obligation or the suffering of a penalty.
--v.tr.
1 grant respite to; reprieve (a condemned person).
2 postpone the execution or exaction of (a sentence, obligation, etc.).
3 give temporary relief from (pain or care) or to (a sufferer).

Etymology

ME f. OF respit f. L respectus RESPECT

DEVIL DICTIONARY

respite

n. A suspension of hostilities against a sentenced assassin, to enable the Executive to determine whether the murder may not have been done by the prosecuting attorney. Any break in the continuity of a disagreeable expectation.

Altgeld upon his incandescend bed
Lay, an attendant demon at his head.

"O cruel cook, pray grant me some relief --
Some respite from the roast, however brief."

"Remember how on earth I pardoned all
Your friends in Illinois when held in thrall."

"Unhappy soul! for that alone you squirm
O'er fire unquenched, a never-dying worm.

"Yet, for I pity your uneasy state,
Your doom I'll mollify and pains abate.

"Naught, for a season, shall your comfort mar,
Not even the memory of who you are."

Throughout eternal space dread silence fell;
Heaven trembled as Compassion entered Hell.

"As long, sweet demon, let my respite be
As, governing down here, I'd respite thee."

"As long, poor soul, as any of the pack
You thrust from jail consumed in getting back."

A genial chill affected Altgeld's hide
While they were turning him on t'other side.
Joel Spate Woop

THESAURUS

respite

abeyance, afterthought, bind, block, blockage, blow, break, breath, breather, breathing, breathing place, breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time, bureaucratic delay, caesura, catharsis, cease-fire, cigarette break, cleansing, cocktail hour, coffee break, day off, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, deliverance, detention, discharge, double take, downtime, dragging, drop, emotional release, enforced respite, extension, freeing, grace, grant a reprieve, half time, half-time intermission, halt, hang-up, happy hour, hesitation, hiatus, hindrance, holdup, holiday, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, jam, lag, lagging, lapse, layoff, letup, logjam, lull, moratorium, obstruction, off-time, paperasserie, pause, plateau, point of repose, postponement, purgation, purge, purging, quiet spell, recess, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, release, relief, remission, removal, reprieve, rest, resting point, retardance, retardation, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, spell, stand-down, stay, stay of execution, stop, stoppage, surcease, suspension, tea break, tie-up, time lag, time off, time out, truce, vacation, wait

ROGET THESAURUS

respite

Deliverance

N deliverance, extrication, rescue, reprieve, reprieval, respite, liberation, emancipation, redemption, salvation, riddance, gaol delivery, redeemableness, saved, extricable, redeemable, rescuable, Int, to the rescue!.

Repose

N repose, rest, silken repose, sleep, relaxation, breathing time, halt, stay, pause, respite, day of rest, dies non, Sabbath, Lord's day, holiday, red-letter day, vacation, recess, reposing, relaxed, unstrained, unstressed, at rest, The best of men have ever loved repose, to repair our nature with comforting repose.

Time

N time, duration, period, term, stage, space, span, spell, season, the whole time, the whole period, space-time, course, snap, intermediate time, while, interim, interval, pendency, intervention, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interlude, respite, era, epoch, time of life, age, year, date, decade, moment, glass of time, sands of time, march of time, Father Time, ravages of time, arrow of time, river of time, whirligig of time, noiseless foot of time, scythe, continuing, on foot, permanent, while, whilst, during, pending, during the time, during the interval, in the course of, at that point, at that point in time, for the time being, day by day, in the time of, when, meantime, meanwhile, in the meantime, in the interim, ad interim, pendente lite, de die in diem, from day to day, from hour to hour, hourly, always, for a time, for a season, till, until, up to, yet, as far as, by that time, so far, hereunto, heretofore, prior to this, up to this point, the whole time, all the time, all along, throughout, for good, hereupon, thereupon, whereupon, then, anno Domini, A, D, ante Christum, A, C, before Christ, B, C, anno urbis conditae, A, U, C, anno regni, A, R, once upon a time, one fine morning, one fine day, one day, once, time flies, tempus fugit, time runs out, time runs against, race against time, racing the clock, time marches on, time is of the essence, time and tide wait for no man, ad calendas Groecas, panting Time toileth after him in vain, 'gainst the tooth of time and razure of oblivion, rich with the spoils of time, tempus edax rerum, the long hours come and go, the time is out of joint, Time rolls his ceaseless course, Time the foe of man's dominion, time wasted is existence, used is life, truditur dies die, volat hora per orbem, carpe diem.

Lateness

N lateness, tardiness, delay, delation, cunctation, procrastination, deferring, deferral, postponement, adjournment, prorogation, retardation, respite, pause, reprieve, stay of execution, protraction, prolongation, Fabian policy, medecine expectante, chancery suit, federal case, leeway, high time, moratorium, holdover, late, tardy, slow, behindhand, serotine, belated, postliminious, posthumous, backward, unpunctual, untimely, delayed, postponed, dilatory, delayed, in abeyance, late, lateward, backward, late in the day, at sunset, at the eleventh hour, at length, at last, ultimately, after time, behind time, after the deadline, too late, too late for, slowly, leisurely, deliberately, at one's leisure, ex post facto, sine die, nonum prematur in annum, against the sunbeams serotine and lucent, ie meglio tardi che mai, deliberando saepe perit occasio.

Cessation

N cessation, discontinuance, desistance, desinence, intermission, remission, suspense, suspension, interruption, stop, stopping, closure, stoppage, halt, arrival, pause, rest, lull, respite, truce, drop, interregnum, abeyance, cloture, dead stop, dead stand, dead lock, finis, cerrado, blowout, burnout, meltdown, disintegration, comma, colon, semicolon, period, full stop, end, death, I pause for a reply.

Acquittal

N acquittal, acquitment, clearance, exculpation, acquittance, clearance, exoneration, discharge, quietus, absolution, compurgation, reprieve, respite, pardon, impunity, diplomatic immunity, immunity, plea bargain, deal with the prosecutor, no cause for action, no damages, acquitted, uncondemned, unpunished, unchastised, not guilty, not proven, not liable, nemo bis punitur pro codem delicto.

VB acquit, exculpate, exonerate, clear, absolve, whitewash, assoil, discharge, release, liberate, reprieve, respite, pardon, let off, let off scot- free, drop the charges, plea bargain, strike a deal, no-cause (in civil suits), get no-caused.