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delay. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
delay, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
delay in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology 1
From Middle English delaien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman delaier, Old French deslaier, from des- + Old French laier (“to leave”), a conflation of Old Frankish *lattjan ("to delay, hinder"; from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (“to delay, hinder, stall”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, leave behind”)), and Old Frankish *laibijan ("to leave"; from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to leave, cause to stay”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to remain, continue”)). Doublet of dally.
Akin to Old English latian (“to delay, hesitate”), Old English latu (“a delay, a hindrance”), Old English lǣfan (“to leave”). More at let (to hinder), late, leave.
Pronunciation
Noun
delay (countable and uncountable, plural delays)
- A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
the delay before the echo of a sound
2019 October, Ian Walmsley, “Cleaning up”, in Modern Railways, page 42:In this article I'm thinking about the big delays, over two hours. While rare, they make the news and help to deter people from future rail travel, both travellers and news viewers.
- (music) An audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.
2014, Dave Hunter, Guitar Amps and Effects For Dummies, page 259:The 8-bit sound quality of many early delays did indeed leave a lot to be desired (compare this to the 16-bit digital technology of CDs)
- (programming, Clojure) Synonym of promise (“object representing delayed result”)
- (chess) An amount of time provided on each move before one's clock starts to tick; a less common time control than increment.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
period of time before an event occurs
- Arabic: تَأْخِير m (taʔḵīr), تَأَخَّر m (taʔaḵḵar)
- Egyptian Arabic: مهلة f (mihla)
- Armenian: ուշացում (hy) (ušacʻum)
- Assamese: পলম (polom), দেৰি (deri)
- Azerbaijani: ləngimə, yubanma, gecikmə, təxir
- Belarusian: затры́мка f (zatrýmka), прыпы́нак m (prypýnak), прамару́джанне n (pramarúdžannje), спазне́нне n (spaznjénnje)
- Bulgarian: отла́гане (bg) n (otlágane), заба́вяне (bg) n (zabávjane), закъсне́ние (bg) n (zakǎsnénie)
- Catalan: retard (ca) m, demora (ca) f, endarreriment m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 遲延/迟延 (zh) (chíyán), 延遲/延迟 (zh) (yánchí)
- Czech: zpoždění (cs) n
- Dutch: vertraging (nl) f
- Esperanto: prokrasto
- Finnish: viivästys (fi), viive (fi), viipymä, viivästymä, jahkailu (fi) (procrastination), viivyttely (fi) (procrastination), vitkastelu (fi) (procrastination), aikailu (fi) (procrastination), kuhnailu (fi) (procrastination), lykkäys (fi), vitkuttelu (fi) (procrastination)
- French: délai (fr) m, retard (fr) m
- Galician: demora (gl) f, mora (gl) f, retraso m
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: Verzögerung (de) f, Verspätung (de) f
- Greek:
- Ancient: τριβή f (tribḗ)
- Hebrew: איחור / אִחוּר (he) m (ikhúr)
- Hindi: देर (hi) f (der), विलंब (hi) m (vilamb)
- Hungarian: késedelem (hu), késés (hu)
- Icelandic: töf f
- Indonesian: keterlambatan (id)
- Irish: faillí f
- Italian: ritardo (it) m
- Japanese: 遅れ (ja) (おくれ, okure), 遅延 (ja) (ちえん, chien)
- Khmer: please add this translation if you can
- Korean: 지연(遲延) (ko) (jiyeon), 지체(遲滯) (ko) (jiche)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: دواخستن (dwaxistin), پاشخستن (paşxistin)
- Latin: mora (la) f
- Macedonian: одложување n (odložuvanje)
- Maltese: dewmien m
- Maori: akutōtanga, roa (mi)
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: forsinkelse m
- Persian: دِرَنگ (fa) (derang), دیرکَرد (fa) (dirkard)
- Polish: opóźnienie (pl) n,
- Portuguese: atraso (pt), demora (pt) f, mora (pt) f, espera (pt), delay m
- Romanian: întârziere (ro) f
- Russian: заде́ржка (ru) f (zadéržka), промедле́ние (ru) n (promedlénije), опозда́ние (ru) n (opozdánije)
- Scottish Gaelic: dàil f
- Slovak: sklz m, zdržanie n, meškanie n
- Slovene: zamuda f, odlašanje n
- Somali: daahi
- Spanish: retraso (es), demora (es) f
- Swedish: försening (sv) c, fördröjning (sv) c, uppskov (sv) n
- Telugu: ఆలస్యము (te) (ālasyamu)
- Thai: ดีเลย์
- Tigrinya: ደንጐየ (dängʷäyä), ድንጓየ (dəngʷayä), ደንጎየ (dängoyä)
- Turkish: gecikme (tr), rötar (tr)
- Ukrainian: за́тримка f (zátrymka), затри́мка f (zatrýmka), заде́ржка f (zadéržka), га́янка f (hájanka), зволіка́ння n (zvolikánnja), спі́знення n (spíznennja)
- Urdu: دیر f (der)
- Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
- Yiddish: אָפּלייג m (opleyg)
- Zazaki: rotar c, peymende
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Verb
delay (third-person singular simple present delays, present participle delaying, simple past and past participle delayed)
- (transitive, intransitive) To put off until a later time; to defer.
- To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.
The mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter X, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered. […] The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow plush, and accommodations for keeping things cold.
- (transitive, obsolete) To allay; to temper.
a. 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, The faithful Lover declareth his Pains and his uncertain Joys, and with only Hope recomforteth somewhat his woful Heart:The watery showers delay the raging wind.
Usage notes
Synonyms
- (put off until a later time): adjourn, defer, forslow, penelopize, postpone, put off, put on ice, suspend; See also Thesaurus:procrastinate
- (retard): belate, forslow, get in the way, hold up, impede; See also Thesaurus:hinder
- (allay): calm, moderate, quell; See also Thesaurus:pacify
Derived terms
Translations
to put off until a later time
- Albanian: mbodhis (sq), vonoj (sq)
- Arabic: أَجَّلَ (ar) (ʔajjala), أَبْطَأَ (ʔabṭaʔa) (slow down, hold up)
- Armenian: հետաձգել (hy) (hetajgel), ձգձգել (hy) (jgjgel), ուշացնել (hy) (ušacʻnel)
- Aromanian: amãn, ntãrdedz
- Bulgarian: отла́гам (bg) impf (otlágam), отло́жа pf (otlóža), заба́вям (bg) impf (zabávjam), заба́вя (bg) pf (zabávja)
- Catalan: endarrerir (ca), demorar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 遲延/迟延 (zh) (chíyán), 延遲/延迟 (zh) (yánchí), 耽誤/耽误 (zh)
- Danish: forsinke, udsætte (da), opsætte
- Dutch: uitstellen (nl)
- Esperanto: prokrasti
- Finnish: viivyttää (fi), viivästyttää, viivästää, lykätä (fi), myöhäistää (fi), siirtää tuonnemmaksi, siirtää myöhemmäksi, siirtää eteenpäin
- French: retarder (fr)
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: sich verspäten (de), verschieben (de), vertagen (de), aufschieben (de), verzögern (de)
- Greek: αναβάλλω (el) (anavállo)
- Ancient: ἀναβάλλω (anabállō)
- Hebrew: לעכב (le'akev)
- Hungarian: halaszt (hu), elhalaszt (hu), elodáz (hu)
- Icelandic: seinka (is)
- Ido: tardigar (io)
- Italian: rimandare (it)
- Japanese: 遅らせる (ja) (おくらせる, okuraseru), 遅延させる (ja) (ちえんさせる, chien saseru)
- Khmer: please add this translation if you can
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: دوای ئەخات (dway exat)
- Latin: cunctor, moror
- Malay: tangguhkan
- Maori: whakaakutō, takaware, whakatōmuri
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norman: r'tèrgi
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: utsette (no)
- Nynorsk: utsetja
- Old English: ieldan, gælan, lettan, elcian
- Pashto: ځنډ m (źanḍ)
- Polish: opóźniać (pl) impf, opóźnić (pl) pf
- Portuguese: atrasar (pt), adiar (pt), protelar (pt), postergar (pt), retardar (pt)
- Quechua: apatatay
- Romanian: întârzia (ro), amâna (ro)
- Russian: откла́дывать (ru) impf (otkládyvatʹ), отложи́ть (ru) pf (otložítʹ), заде́рживать (ru) impf (zadérživatʹ), задержа́ть (ru) pf (zaderžátʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: одга́ђати impf, одго̀дити pf
- Roman: odgáđati (sh) impf, odgòditi (sh) pf
- Spanish: retrasar (es), demorar (es)
- Swedish: skjuta upp (sv), senarelägga (sv), fördröja (sv)
- Thai: รอรี, รีรอ, ลังเล (th) (lang-lee), ชักช้า (th) (chák-cháa)
- Turkish: ertelemek (tr)
- Ukrainian: відклада́ти impf (vidkladáty), відкла́сти pf (vidklásty)
- Vietnamese: hoãn (vi), trì hoãn (vi)
- Yiddish: אָפּלייגן (opleygn)
- Zazaki: terkneyen, terkneyen
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Etymology 2
From Middle English delaien, from Old French delaiier, a variant of delaissier.
Verb
delay (third-person singular simple present delays, present participle delaying, simple past and past participle delayed)
- (obsolete) To dilute, temper.
- (obsolete) To assuage, quench, allay.
Further reading
- “delay”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “delay”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
Maranao
Noun
delay
- Job's tears
References
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English delay.
Pronunciation
Noun
delay m (plural delays)
- (posh, except in technical contexts) delay (period of time before an event being initiated and actually occurring)
- Synonym: atraso
- (audio engineering) delay (effect that produces echo-like repetitions in sound)
- (audio engineering) delay (unit that produces a delay effect)