respite

¹re·spite

noun \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\

Definition of RESPITE

1

: a period of temporary delay

2

: an interval of rest or relief

Examples of RESPITE

1. The bad weather has continued without respite.
2. But in the middle of each semester there came a short respite, separate from the traditional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. —Martha Southgate, The Fall of Rome, 2002
3. Six years more of toil they had to face before they could expect the least respite, the cessation of the payments upon the house … —Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906
4. The laborer's day ends with the going down of the sun … but his employer, who speculates from month to month, has no respite from one end of the year to the other. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

Origin of RESPITE

Middle English respit, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin respectus, from Latin, act of looking back — more at respect

First Known Use: 13th century

Rhymes with RESPITE

affright, air right, airtight, albite, Albright, alight, all right, all-night, a mite, aright, backbite, backlight, bauxite, bedight, birthright, black light, bleed white, bobwhite, bombsight, box kite, calcite, campsite, catfight, cockfight, contrite, cordite, Cushite, daylight, deadlight, delight, dendrite, despite, dogfight, downlight, downright, droplight, dust mite, earthlight, excite, eyebright, eyesight, fanlight, felsite, ferrite, finite, fire blight, firefight, firelight, first night, fistfight, flashlight, fleabite, floodlight, foresight, forthright, fortnight, freewrite, frostbite, Gadite, gall mite, gaslight, gastight, ghostwrite, goethite, graphite, green light, gummite, gunfight, half-light, halite, Hamite, handwrite, headlight, highlight, hindsight, Hittite, homesite, hoplite, Hussite, ignite, illite, infight, in-flight, incite, indict, indite, insight, in sight, invite, jacklight, jadeite, key light, lamplight, late blight, leucite, Levite, lighttight, lignite, limelight, lintwhite, lowlight, Lucite, Luddite, lyddite, marmite, Melchite, Memphite, midnight, millwright, moonlight, New Right, night-light, nitrite, off-site, off-white, on sight, on-site, outright, outsight, partite, peep sight, penlight, perlite, playwright, polite, preflight, prizefight, pyrite, quartzite, ratite, recite, red light, red-light, requite, rewrite, rushlight, rust mite, safelight, samite, searchlight, Semite, Servite, Shemite, Shiite, shipwright, sidelight, sit tight, skintight, skylight, skywrite, slant height, smectite, snakebite, snow-white, sound bite, spaceflight, spotlight, stage fright, starlight, sternite, sticktight, stoplight, streetlight, stylite, sulfite, sunlight, Sunnite, taillight, termite, thermite, tonight, torchlight, trothplight, Twelfth Night, twilight, twi-night, typewrite, unite, unsight, upright, uptight, wainwright, watch night, wax light, Web site, weeknight, wheelwright, white flight, white knight, x-height, zinc white

²re·spite

transitive verb \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\

re·spit·edre·spit·ing

Definition of RESPITE

1

: to grant a temporary period of relief to : grant a respite to

2

: put off, delay

Origin of RESPITE

(see ¹respite)

First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with RESPITE

despot

³re·spite

adjective \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\

Definition of RESPITE

: providing or being temporary care in relief of a primary caregiver <respite care> <a respite worker>

Origin of RESPITE

(see ¹respite)

First Known Use: 1978