temporize

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to delay making a decision or commitment, or to act evasively, in order to gain time or an advantage

   Unable to secure enough votes, the minister temporized rather than reject the proposal outright.

From Middle French temporiser, 'to wait for one's time,' from Medieval Latin temporizare, 'to pass time or delay,' based on Latin tempus, 'time.' English adopted the verb with -ize; British English also uses the spelling temporise.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images