English → Latin
“delay” in Latin
cessōto stop, desist, halt, cease; to be lacking or wanting; to delay, hold back, tarrycūnctorto delay, impede or hold up; to hesitate, tarry or linger; to dawdlemororto linger, loiter, spend time with; to delay, hinder; to delay, hindertardōto check or retard, hinder, impede or delay; to hesitatetergiversorto seek an evasion, to tergiversatehaesitōto remain fixed in place; to hesitate; to be uncertainprofiteorto declare publicly, own (up to) or confess openly, acknowledge, avow, profess; to offer freely, promise; to profess, clmoraa duration of time before an event takes place, delay; a delay in the performance of an action, putting off; hindranceretardātiōhindering, delaying, retardingsustentātiōdelay; forbearance; sustenance, maintenance
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
delay
INTR., or ABSOL. To linger, loiter, be slow, cessare (to delay from laziness when a task is to be performed: absolutely, or with infinitive; also in aliqua, re and sometimes ad aliquid; e.g., ad arma, and poetically in aliquid; in vota precesque, Verg.): cunctari (to delay doing anything from irresolution; seldom with infinitive [e.g., profiteri, Cic.] or relative clause [quid faciatis, Sall.]): morari; moram facere (to delay when anybody ought to be getting on; morari may be followed by infinitive): tardare (from ennui or want of will): tergiversari (to seek an escape from the necessity of doing or saying what one dislikes). (The words are found in this connection and order.) cunctari et tergiversari (with ut, ne, Cic.): haesitare (to delay from not knowing what to do or say): to delay from day to day, diem ex die ducere or prolatare. To punish those who delay, tardantes punire (of bees; Plin.).
delay s.
mora: retardatio: (The words are found in this connection and order.) retardatio et mora (delay that makes one late, hinders one, etc.): sustentatio (the being suspended, as to its execution, etc., for a time). (The words are found in this connection and order.) mora et sustentatio: commoratio (time one stops at a place): cessatio (from laziness when work is to be done): dilatio; prolatio (the putting off): procrastinatio (delay from one day to another): tarditas (slowness). (The words are found in this connection and order.) tarditas et procrastinatio (Cic.): cunctatio (delay from irresolution): to grant delay, dare dilationem: to grant a few days’ delay (with reference to payment), paucos dies ad solvendum alicui prorogare: to ask for delay, petere dilationem: to admit of delay, habere aliquam moram et sustentationem (opposed to necessity of being done at once, statim): to endure no delay, dilationem non pati; dilationem non pati or recipere; cunctationem non recipere: without delay, sine dilatione; sine mora; nulla interposita mora: protinus: statim, continuo (immediately): abjecta omni cunctatione (without any delay from irresolution): to do anything without delay, repraesentare aliquid (especially of a payment; but also of other actions): it is no time for delay, nulla mora est maturato opus est: to cause delay, tarditatem or moram et tarditatem afferre (alicui rei); impedimentum afferre (alicui rei, Tac.); moram atque impedimentum (alicui rei) inferre (Cic.); (alicui rei) moram facere, afferre, inferre, objicere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for delay?
- The usual Latin words for “delay” are cessō, cūnctor, moror; also tardō, tergiversor, haesitō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.