What does "respite" mean?
Respite: Temporary intermission of labor, or of any process or operation; interval of rest; pause; delay. "Without more respite." Chaucer. Some pause and respite only I require. Denham.
Additional senses
- 2.(Law) (a) Temporary suspension of the execution of a capital offender; reprieve. (b) The delay of appearance at court granted to a jury beyond the proper term.
- 3.To give or grant a respite to. Specifically: (a) To delay or postpone; to put off. (b) To keep back from execution; to reprieve. Forty days longer we do respite you. Shak. (c) To relieve by a pause or interval of rest. "To respite his day labor with repast." Milton.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00