Main Entry: ¹pause

Pronunciation: \ˈpȯz\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein to stop

Date: 15th century

1 : a temporary stop
2 a : a break in a verse b : a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts
3 : temporary inaction especially as caused by uncertainty : hesitation
4 a : the sign denoting a fermata b : a mark (as a period or comma) used in writing or printing to indicate or correspond to a pause of voice
5 : a reason or cause for pausing (as to reconsider) <a thought that should give one pause>
6 : a function of an electronic device that pauses a recording