moratorium

1 a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged

2 suspension of an ongoing activity [also: moratoria (pl)]

English

Etymology

First attested 1875, from neuter of moratorius "delaying", from morari "to delay," from mora "delay." The word had been written in italics up until 1914. See also moratory.

Noun

1. An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
2. A suspension of an ongoing activity

   Canada may put a moratorium on cloning for research.

Translations

• Russian: мораторий ''
• Icelandic: greiðslustöðvun ''; frestur ''; stöðvun ''
• Italian: moratoria ''
• Spanish: moratorio ''
• German: Moratorium ''

Moratorium may refer to:

• Debt moratorium
• Moratorium (law)
• Moratorium (entertainment)
• Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam
• UN moratorium on the death penalty
• A song by Alanis Morissette on her album Flavors of Entanglement

afterthought, bind, block, blockage, bureaucratic delay, cancellation, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, detention, double take, dragging, freeze, grace period, halt, hang-up, hiatus, hindrance, holdup, interim, jam, lag, lagging, logjam, obliteration, obstruction, paperasserie, pause, postponement, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, reprieve, respite, retardance, retardation, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, stay, stay of execution, stop, stoppage, suspense, suspension, tie-up, time lag, wait, write-off