First Known Use: 1875
Dictionary
moratorium
noun mor·a·to·ri·um \ˌmȯr-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-əm, ˌmär-\
: a time when a particular activity is not allowed
plural mor·a·to·riums or mor·a·to·ria \-ē-ə\
Full Definition of MORATORIUM
1
a : a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt b : a waiting period set by an authority
2
: a suspension of activity
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Examples of MORATORIUM
- In 2000, Illinois declared a moratorium on executions after 13 death-row inmates were exonerated. —Evan Thomas et al., Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2007
- But one country's moratorium is another country's protectionism, and the U.S. is suspicious of Europe's actions. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 13 Sept. 1999
- The striped bass are recovering strongly after a moratorium on catching them. —John P. Wiley, Jr., Smithsonian, November 1993
- Her office was crammed with ungraded school papers, some of them dating back five years. She was far behind in her work—so far behind that she had declared a moratorium on school work until she could catch up on her grading. —Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., The Sirens of Titan, 1959
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Origin of MORATORIUM
New Latin, from Late Latin, neuter of moratorius dilatory, from Latin morari to delay, from mora delay
Related to MORATORIUM
- Synonyms
- cold storage, deep freeze, doldrums, dormancy, holding pattern, latency, abeyance, quiescence, suspended animation, suspense, suspension
- Antonyms
- continuance, continuation
Other Legal Terms
Rhymes with MORATORIUM
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