Moratorium
/ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
- 2 suspension of an ongoing activity wordnet
- 3 A suspension of an ongoing activity.
"Canada may put a moratorium on cloning for research."
- 4 a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged wordnet
Example
More examples"Kazakhstan declared a moratorium on capital punishment."
Etymology
New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“I delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory.