What does respiting mean?
Respiting is the present participle of “respite,” a formal verb meaning to grant something a temporary delay, suspension, or period of relief. It is often used when an event, decision, or legal proceeding is postponed rather than cancelled, and it may imply that the matter will resume later. For example, a court can be described as respiting a hearing, while a committee may be respiting its decision while further consideration takes place. The word has a comparatively formal and occasionally legal tone, especially in older writing, although the noun “respite” is now also widely used in general contexts for a welcome pause. Respiting belongs to the same family as “respite,” from which “respites” and “respited” are formed.
verbThe present participle of respite, meaning to grant temporary relief or postponement to something.
- To grant temporary relief, suspension, or delay.
"The committee is respiting its decision until the new evidence has been reviewed."
"The court is respiting the hearing until the new evidence has been examined."
"The council is respiting its decision while it considers the objections raised by residents."
Respiting gives a task permission to wait: a formal way to say “putting it off for a while.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does respiting come from?
The word comes through Old French from Latin respectum, a noun meaning “respect” or “regard” and later “delay” or “pause.” Its sense developed from the idea of looking back or taking account before proceeding, which came to mean postponing an action. The modern verb continues the earlier sense of granting a delay or temporary relief, and the same Latin root underlies cognates such as “respect” and “retrospect.”
Related word forms
How respiting is actually used
Respiting is an inflected form of the relatively formal or legal verb “respite,” rather than a separate lexical item. It is most natural in continuous or perfect constructions, especially where postponement is temporary.
Easily confused with respiting
Respiting means granting a delay or temporary relief, whereas respiring means breathing.