Question

abeyance noun Abeyance has something in common with yawn. Today, yawn implies sleep or boredom, but years ago it could also signify longing or desire ("Full many men know I that yawn and gape after some fat and rich benefice" —Thomas Hoccleve, 1420). The Old French word for "yawn" was baer, which joined the prefix a- ("in a state or condition of") to form abaer, a verb meaning "to expect" or "await." There followed Anglo-French abeyance, which referred to a state of expectation—specifically, a person's expectation of inheriting a title or property. But when we adopted abeyance into English in the 16th century, we applied the expectation to the property itself: a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner. 1 : a state of temporary inactivity : suspension — used chiefly in the phrase in abeyance2 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested

Accepted Answer

December 26, 2017 uh-BAY-unss The misdemeanor charges are in abeyance while the suspect is being prosecuted for the felony."The 1950–53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, so hostilities have merely been in abeyance." — Rick Gladstone and David E. Sanger, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2017

Word	abeyance
Date	December 26, 2017
Type	noun
Syllables	uh-BAY-unss
Etymology	Abeyance has something in common with yawn. Today, yawn implies sleep or boredom, but years ago it could also signify longing or desire ("Full many men know I that yawn and gape after some fat and rich benefice" —Thomas Hoccleve, 1420). The Old French word for "yawn" was baer, which joined the prefix a- ("in a state or condition of") to form abaer, a verb meaning "to expect" or "await." There followed Anglo-French abeyance, which referred to a state of expectation—specifically, a person's expectation of inheriting a title or property. But when we adopted abeyance into English in the 16th century, we applied the expectation to the property itself: a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner.
Examples	The misdemeanor charges are in abeyance while the suspect is being prosecuted for the felony. "The 1950–53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, so hostilities have merely been in abeyance." — Rick Gladstone and David E. Sanger, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2017
Definition	1 : a state of temporary inactivity : suspension — used chiefly in the phrase in abeyance 2 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested

Abeyance State Title Yawn Expectation Property Temporary December