Search Result for "respite": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (5)

1. a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort;
[syn: reprieve, respite]

2. a pause from doing something (as work);
- Example: "we took a 10-minute break"
- Example: "he took time out to recuperate"
[syn: respite, recess, break, time out]

3. an interruption in the intensity or amount of something;
[syn: suspension, respite, reprieve, hiatus, abatement]

4. a pause for relaxation;
- Example: "people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests"
[syn: respite, rest, relief, rest period]

5. the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment;
[syn: reprieve, respite]


VERB (1)

1. postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution;
[syn: reprieve, respite]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Respite \Res"pite\ (r?s"p?t), n. [OF. respit, F. r['e]pit, from L. respectus respect, regard, delay, in LL., the deferring of a day. See Respect.] 1. A putting off of that which was appointed; a postponement or delay. [1913 Webster] I crave but four day's respite. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Temporary intermission of labor, or of any process or operation; interval of rest; pause; delay. "Without more respite." --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] Some pause and respite only I require. --Denham. [1913 Webster] 3. (Law) (a) Temporary suspension of the execution of a capital offender; reprieve. (b) The delay of appearance at court granted to a jury beyond the proper term. [1913 Webster] Syn: Pause; interval; stop; cessation; delay; postponement; stay; reprieve. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Respite \Res"pite\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Respited; p. pr. & vb. n. Respiting.] [OF. respiter, LL. respectare. See Respite, n.] To give or grant a respite to. Specifically: (a) To delay or postpone; to put off. (b) To keep back from execution; to reprieve. [1913 Webster] Forty days longer we do respite you. --Shak. [1913 Webster] (c) To relieve by a pause or interval of rest. "To respite his day labor with repast." --Milton. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

respite n 1: a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort [syn: reprieve, respite] 2: a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate" [syn: respite, recess, break, time out] 3: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something [syn: suspension, respite, reprieve, hiatus, abatement] 4: a pause for relaxation; "people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests" [syn: respite, rest, relief, rest period] 5: the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment [syn: reprieve, respite] v 1: postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution [syn: reprieve, respite]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

109 Moby Thesaurus words for "respite": abeyance, afterthought, bind, block, blockage, blow, break, breath, breather, breathing, breathing place, breathing space, breathing spell, breathing time, bureaucratic delay, caesura, catharsis, cease-fire, cigarette break, cleansing, cocktail hour, coffee break, day off, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, deliverance, detention, discharge, double take, downtime, dragging, drop, emotional release, enforced respite, extension, freeing, grace, grant a reprieve, half time, half-time intermission, halt, hang-up, happy hour, hesitation, hiatus, hindrance, holdup, holiday, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, jam, lag, lagging, lapse, layoff, letup, logjam, lull, moratorium, obstruction, off-time, paperasserie, pause, plateau, point of repose, postponement, purgation, purge, purging, quiet spell, recess, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, release, relief, remission, removal, reprieve, rest, resting point, retardance, retardation, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, spell, stand-down, stay, stay of execution, stop, stoppage, surcease, suspension, tea break, tie-up, time lag, time off, time out, truce, vacation, wait
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

RESPITE, contracts, civil law. An act by which a debtor who is unable to satisfy his debts at the moment, transacts (i. e. compromises) with his creditors, and obtains from them time or delay for the payment of the sums which he owes to them. Louis. Code, 3051. 2. The respite is either voluntary or forced; it is voluntary when all the creditors consent to the proposal, which the debtor makes to pay in a limited time the whole or a part of his debt; it is forced when a part of the creditors refuse to accept the debtor's proposal, and when the latter is obliged to compel them by judicial authority, to consent to what the others have determined in the cases directed by law. Id. 3052; Poth. Proced. Civ. 5eme partie, ch. 3. 3. In Pennsylvania, there is a provision in the insolvent act of June 16, 1836, s. 41, somewhat similar to involuntary respite. It is enacted, that whenever a majority in number and value of the creditors of any insolvent, as aforesaid, residing within the United States, or having a known attorney therein, shall consent in writing thereto, it shall be lawful for the court by whom such insolvent shall have been discharged, upon the application of such debtor, and notice given thereof, in the manner hereinbefore provided for giving notice of his original petition, to make an order that the estate and effects which such insolvent may afterwards acquire, shall be exempted for the term of seven years thereafter from execution, for any debt contracted, or cause of action existing previously to such discharge, and if after such order and consent, any execution shall be issued for such debt or cause of action, it shall be the duty, of any judge of the court from which such execution issued, to set aside the same with costs. 4. Respite also signifies a delay, forbearance or continuation of time.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

RESPITE, crim. law. A suspension of a sentence, which is to be executed at a future time. It differs from a pardon, which is in abolition of the crime. See Abolition; Pardon.
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

RESPITE, n. A suspension of hostilities against a sentenced assassin, to enable the Executive to determine whether the murder may not have been done by the prosecuting attorney. Any break in the continuity of a disagreeable expectation. Altgeld upon his incandescent bed Lay, an attendant demon at his head. "O cruel cook, pray grant me some relief -- Some respite from the roast, however brief." "Remember how on earth I pardoned all Your friends in Illinois when held in thrall." "Unhappy soul! for that alone you squirm O'er fire unquenched, a never-dying worm. "Yet, for I pity your uneasy state, Your doom I'll mollify and pains abate. "Naught, for a season, shall your comfort mar, Not even the memory of who you are." Throughout eternal space dread silence fell; Heaven trembled as Compassion entered Hell. "As long, sweet demon, let my respite be As, governing down here, I'd respite thee." "As long, poor soul, as any of the pack You thrust from jail consumed in getting back." A genial chill affected Altgeld's hide While they were turning him on t'other side. Joel Spate Woop