释义 |
abey·ance \əˈbāən(t)s\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle French abeance desire, expectation, from abaer, abair to desire (from a- — from Latin ad- — + baer, bair to yawn, gape, stare, desire, from Medieval Latin batare to yawn, perhaps of imitative origin) + -ance 1. : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in existence in whom a freehold estate, dignity, or title is vested < a peerage revived after an abeyance of many years > — usually used with in < the estate was in abeyance > 2. : temporary inactivity or suppression : cessation or suspension (as of a customary practice) < statutes fallen into abeyance > < a rule in abeyance since 1935 > — used chiefly in the phrases in abeyance or into abeyance |