abeyance
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Merriam-Webster
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🗓️ 4 September 2025
⏱️ 3 minutes
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Summary
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 4, 2025 is:
abeyance • \uh-BAY-unss\ • noun
Abeyance is a formal word that is almost always used in the phrase “in abeyance” to describe something in a temporary state of inactivity—that is, something in a state of suspension.
// The legal case is now being held in abeyance while the parties attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Examples:
“A restaurant popular with college students ... will temporarily lose its liquor license for more than a week in October after the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission found multiple underage patrons consuming alcohol. ... The actual liquor license suspension issued lasts for 18 days, but only nine of those days must be served, from Oct. 7 to 15, according to the report. The other nine days ‘will be held in abeyance for a period of two years provided no further violations’ are found ...” — Katelyn Umholtz, Boston.com, 12 Sept. 2024
Did you know?
Jaw-dropping suspense is at the etymological heart of abeyance: the word’s Anglo-French forbear joined parts meaning “to open wide” and “to have the mouth wide open; gape, pant.” Almost always partnered with the word in, abeyance refers to a temporary lull in activity—a state of suspension (and perhaps suspense) before an action continues. If something, such as a plan or contract, is in abeyance, it is temporarily unable to take effect, be enforced, etc. When first borrowed into English in the early 16th century, abeyance referred to a lapse in succession during which there exists no person with a legal right to an estate or title of nobility; think of a property or title in this type of abeyance as being in a state of limbo, waiting for a rightful heir or owner. This meaning comes directly from its Anglo-French ancestor, which took the jaw-dropping suspense implied in the word’s parts and applied it to the edge-of-one’s-seat feeling when you don’t know who the next Earl or Countess will be.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's the word of the day for September 4th. |
| 0:09.0 | Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at audible.coed.uk.uk |
| 0:16.6 | slash Wondery. That's audible.co.com.uk slash Wondery. |
| 0:23.4 | Today's word is abeyance, spelled A-B-E-Y-A-N-C-E. Abeyance is a noun. It's a formal word that is |
| 0:32.0 | almost always used in the phrase in abeyance to describe something in a temporary state of inactivity, that is, |
| 0:39.5 | something in a state of suspension. Here's the word used in a sentence from Boston.com. |
| 0:45.6 | A restaurant popular with college students will temporarily lose its liquor license for more than a |
| 0:51.2 | week in October after the state alcoholic beverage control Commission found multiple underage patrons consuming alcohol. |
| 0:59.0 | The actual liquor license suspension issued lasts for 18 days, but only nine of those days must be served from October 7th to the 15th, according to the report. The other nine days will be held |
| 1:12.6 | in abeyance for a period of two years, provided no further violations are found. |
| 1:18.6 | Jaw-dropping suspense is at the etymological heart of the word abeyance. Its Anglo-French |
| 1:24.8 | forebear joined parts, meaning to open wide, and to have the mouth wide open, gape, or pant. |
| 1:32.8 | Almost always partnered with the word in, abeyance refers to a temporary lull inactivity, a state of suspension, and perhaps suspense, before an action continues. If something such as a plan or |
| 1:46.6 | contract is in abeyance, it is temporarily unable to take effect or be enforced. When first |
| 1:53.1 | borrowed into English in the early 16th century, abeyance referred to a lapse in succession |
| 1:58.5 | during which there exists no person with a legal right to an estate |
| 2:03.5 | or title of nobility. Think of a property or title in this type of abeyance as being in a state |
| 2:09.7 | of limbo, waiting for a rightful heir or owner. This meaning comes directly from its Anglo-French ancestor, |
| 2:16.9 | which took the jaw-dropping suspense |
| 2:19.2 | implied in the words parts, and applied it to the edge of one's seat feeling when you don't |
| 2:25.3 | know who the next Earl or Countess will be. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. |
| 2:33.8 | Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups. |
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