| Library / English Dictionary |
RESPITE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A pause from doing something (as work)
Example:
he took time out to recuperate
Synonyms:
break; recess; respite; time out
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("respite" is a kind of...):
pause (temporary inactivity)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "respite"):
spring break (a week or more of recess during the spring term at school)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment
Synonyms:
reprieve; respite
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("respite" is a kind of...):
clemency; mercifulness; mercy (leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice)
Domain category:
jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)
Derivation:
respite (postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution)
Sense 3
Meaning:
An interruption in the intensity or amount of something
Synonyms:
abatement; hiatus; reprieve; respite; suspension
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("respite" is a kind of...):
break; interruption (some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "respite"):
defervescence (abatement of a fever as indicated by a reduction in body temperature)
remission; remittal; subsidence (an abatement in intensity or degree (as in the manifestations of a disease))
Sense 4
Meaning:
A (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
Synonyms:
reprieve; respite
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("respite" is a kind of...):
ease; relief (the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress))
Sense 5
Meaning:
A pause for relaxation
Example:
people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests
Synonyms:
relief; respite; rest; rest period
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("respite" is a kind of...):
break; intermission; interruption; pause; suspension (a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "respite"):
breath; breather; breathing place; breathing space; breathing spell; breathing time (a short respite)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution
Synonyms:
reprieve; respite
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "respite" is one way to...):
defer; hold over; postpone; prorogue; put off; put over; remit; set back; shelve; table (hold back to a later time)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Derivation:
respite (the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment)
