respite

C1 Topic:Time

US /ˈɹɛs.pɪt/ UK /ˈɹɛsˌpaɪt/ See IPA manual

noun verb Freq #27522

Meanings

1

noun
a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant

The cool evening brought a welcome respite from the heat.
2

noun
a delay before something bad, such as a punishment, happens

The court granted the prisoner a brief respite from his sentence.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a short period of rest or... break breather relief reprieve

2 noun · a delay before something... reprieve

Word family

Forms respites

Derived forms respiteless

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman and Old French respit (“rest”), from Latin respectus. Doublet of respect.

*speḱ- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Time Describing Qualities

# respite

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈɹɛs.pɪt
**IPA (UK):** ˈɹɛsˌpaɪt
**Frequency rank:** 27522

## Meanings
1. a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant
2. a delay before something bad, such as a punishment, happens

## Examples
- The cool evening brought a welcome respite from the heat.
- The court granted the prisoner a brief respite from his sentence.

## Derived Forms
- respiteless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *speḱ-

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman and Old French respit (“rest”), from Latin respectus. Doublet of respect.

## AI Etymology
Respite is from Anglo-Norman and Old French respit (“rest”), from Latin respectus. Doublet of respect. A key historical form is Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-. In present-day use, it can mean a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant, or a delay before something bad, such as a punishment, happens. Derived formations include respiteless.

## Topics
- Time
- Describing Qualities

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respite

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