paused

Variant of pause

noun

  1. a short period of inaction; temporary stop, break, or rest, as in speaking or reading
  2. hesitation; interruption; delay: pursuit without pause
    1. a stop or break in speaking or reading, which clarifies meaning
    2. any mark of punctuation indicating this
  3. Music
    1. the holding of a tone or rest beyond its written value, at the discretion of the performer
    2. a sign  indicating this, written above the note or rest
  4. Prosody a rhythm break or caesura

Origin: ME pawse < MFr pause < L pausa < Gr pausis, a stopping < pauein, to bring to an end < IE base *paus-, to let go > OPrus pausto, wild

intransitive verb paused, pausing

  1. to make a pause; be temporarily inactive; stop; hesitate
  2. to dwell or linger: with on or upon

Origin: Fr pauser < L pausare, to stop < the n.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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