Adjacent Words

Reprieve definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REPRIE'VE, v.t. [I know not the origin of this word.]
1. To respit after sentence of death; to suspend or delay the execution of for a time; as, to reprieve a criminal for thirty days.
He reprieves the sinner from time to time.
2. To grant a respit to; to relieve for a time for any suffering.
Company, though it may reprieve a man from his melancholy, yet cannot secure a man from his conscience.
REPRIE'VE, n.
1. The temporary suspension of the execution of sentence of death on a criminal.
2. Respit; interval of ease or relief.
All that I ask is but a short reprieve, till I forgot to love, and learn to grieve.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort [syn: reprieve, respite]
2: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something [syn: suspension, respite, reprieve, hiatus, abatement]
3: a warrant granting postponement (usually to postpone the execution of the death sentence)
4: the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment [syn: reprieve, respite] v
1: postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution [syn: reprieve, respite]
2: relieve temporarily

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb (reprieved; reprieving) Etymology: probably blend of obsolete repreve to reprove (from Middle English) and obsolete repry to remand, postpone, from Anglo-French repri-, past stem of reprendre to take back Date: 1596 1. to delay the punishment of (as a condemned prisoner) 2. to give relief or deliverance to for a time II. noun Date: 1592 1. a. the act of reprieving ; the state of being reprieved b. a formal temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence especially of death 2. an order or warrant for a reprieve 3. a temporary respite (as from pain or trouble)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. 1 remit, commute, or postpone the execution of (a condemned person). 2 give respite to. --n. 1 a the act or an instance of reprieving or being reprieved. b a warrant for this. 2 respite; a respite or temporary escape. Etymology: ME as past part. repryed f. AF & OF repris past part. of reprendre (as RE-, prendre f. L prehendere take): 16th-c. -v- unexpl.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reprieve Re*prieve (r?-pr?v"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Reprieved (-pr?vd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Reprieving.] [OE. repreven to reject, disallow, OF. reprover to blame, reproach, condemn (pres. il reprueve), F. r['e]prouver to disapprove, fr. L. reprobare to reject, condemn; pref. re- re- + probare to try, prove. See Prove, and cf. Reprove, Reprobate.] 1. To delay the punishment of; to suspend the execution of sentence on; to give a respite to; to respite; as, to reprieve a criminal for thirty days. He reprieves the sinnner from time to time. --Rogers. 2. To relieve for a time, or temporarily. Company, thought it may reprieve a man from his melaneholy yet can not secure him from his conscience. --South.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reprieve Re*prieve" (r?-pr?v"), n. 1. A temporary suspension of the execution of a sentence, especially of a sentence of death. The morning Sir John Hotham was to die, a reprieve was sent to suspend the execution for three days. --Clarendon. 2. Interval of ease or relief; respite. All that I ask is but a short reprieve, ll I forget to love, and learn to grieve. --Denham.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(reprieves, reprieving reprieved) 1. If someone who has been sentenced in a court is reprieved, their punishment is officially delayed or cancelled. Fourteen people, waiting to be hanged for the murder of a former prime minister, have been reprieved. VERB: usu passive, no cont, be V-ed • Reprieve is also a noun A man awaiting death by lethal injection has been saved by a last minute reprieve. N-VAR 2. A reprieve is a delay before a very unpleasant or difficult situation which may or may not take place. It looked as though the college would have to shut, but this week it was given a reprieve. N-COUNT: usu sing

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Respite, delay the punishment of, give a respite to. 2. Relieve. II. n. 1. Respite, suspension of punishment. 2. Respite, interval of ease.

Moby Thesaurus

absolution, afterthought, amnesty, benevolence, bind, block, blockage, bureaucratic delay, catharsis, cleanse, cleanse away, cleansing, clemency, commiseration, compassion, condolence, delay, delayage, delayed reaction, deliver, deliverance, detention, discharge, double take, dragging, emotional release, exculpation, excuse, exemption, exoneration, favor, feeling, forbear, forbearance, forgive, forgiveness, free, free from, freeing, give quarter, give release, give respite, grace, grant a reprieve, halt, hang-up, have mercy upon, have pity, hindrance, holdup, humanity, immunity, indemnity, interim, intermission, intermit, jam, kindness, lag, lagging, leniency, let off, let up on, logjam, melt, mercy, mitigation, moratorium, obstruction, paperasserie, pardon, pathos, pause, pity, postponement, purgation, purge, purge away, purging, quarter, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, redemption, relax, release, relent, relief, remission, remission of sin, removal, remove, rescue, respite, retardance, retardation, ruth, save, self-pity, shrift, slow-up, slowdown, slowness, spare, sparing, stay, stay of execution, stop, stoppage, surcease, suspend, suspension, sympathy, take pity on, thaw, tie-up, time lag, wait