What does adjourned mean?
'Adjourned' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'adjourn', meaning that a meeting, session, or formal proceeding has been suspended — either to resume at a stated later time or place, or without any date fixed. It is the standard term in parliamentary, legislative, and judicial settings: courts are adjourned between hearings, legislatures adjourn for recesses, and company meetings are adjourned when business cannot be concluded. The word carries a distinctly formal tone; in casual conversation one would more likely say a meeting was postponed or put off. A notable legal phrase is 'adjourned sine die', from Latin, meaning adjourned indefinitely with no date set for reconvening. The word traces back through Old French 'ajourner', literally 'to set a day', from Latin 'diurnus', 'daily' — the same root that gives us 'journal' and 'journey'. Understanding 'adjourned' is useful for anyone reading official proceedings, legal reporting, or organizational minutes, where it signals not cancellation but a deliberate pause in proceedings.
Having suspended a meeting, session, or proceeding to a later time or place, or having broken it off without setting a date to resume.
"The board adjourned the meeting after failing to reach a quorum."
Chiefly formal; typical of parliamentary, judicial, and corporate contexts.
Describing a meeting, hearing, or session that has been suspended rather than concluded.
"The case will return to the adjourned hearing next month."
Common in legal phrases such as 'adjourned hearing' or 'adjourned debate'.
When a court is 'adjourned sine die', it literally means adjourned 'without a day' — suspended with no date set for resuming, straight from Latin into modern courtrooms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adjourned
'Adjourned' derives from the verb 'adjourn', which entered English from Old French 'ajourner', formed from 'a' (to) plus 'jour' (day), ultimately from Latin 'diurnus', meaning 'daily'. The original sense was thus 'to set a day' — to fix a future date for resuming proceedings. English adopted the verb in the late medieval period, and it became firmly established in parliamentary and legal usage. Its Latin root 'diurnus' also underlies cognates such as 'journal', 'journey', 'sojourn', and 'diurnal'.
Word family
Usage notes
'Adjourned' belongs chiefly to formal registers — parliamentary procedure, courtroom language, and official minutes. In everyday speech, people more often say a meeting was 'put off' or 'postponed'. The phrase 'adjourned sine die' (Latin for 'without a day') is standard in legislative and judicial contexts to indicate suspension without a set date for resumption.
Don't confuse with
'Adjoined' means joined or attached next to something (as in adjoining rooms), while 'adjourned' refers to suspending a meeting or proceeding.