• IPA: /dɪˈleɪ/

delay

1. A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.

   the delay before the echo of a sound

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Acts 25:17 ↗:

     Without any delay, on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat.

2. (music) An audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.

• (period of time) cunctation, hold-up; see also Thesaurus:delay

• French: délai, retard
• German: Verzögerung, Verspätung
• Italian: ritardo
• Portuguese: atraso, demora, mora, espera
• Russian: заде́ржка
• Spanish: retraso, demora

delay (delays, present participle delaying; past and past participle delayed)

1. (ambitransitive) To put off until a later time; to defer.
   • Bible, Gospel of Matthew 24:48

     My lord delayeth his coming.

2. To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.

   The mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To allay; to temper.

   • The watery showers delay the raging wind.

• (put off until a later time) adjourn, defer, forslow, penelopize, postpone, put off, put on ice, suspend; See also Thesaurus:procrastinate
• (retard) forslow, get in the way, hold up, impede; See also Thesaurus:hinder
• (allay) calm, moderate, quell; See also Thesaurus:pacify

• French: retarder
• German: verspäten, verschieben, vertagen, aufschieben
• Italian: rimandare
• Portuguese: atrasar, adiar, protelar, postergar, retardar
• Russian: откла́дывать
• Spanish: retrasar, demorar

delay (delays, present participle delaying; past and past participle delayed)

1. (obsolete) To dilute, temper.
2. (obsolete) To assuage, quench, allay.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.12:

     Those dreadfull flames she also found delayd / And quenched quite like a consumed torch […].

1. Surname