First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1respite
noun re·spite \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\
: a short period of time when you are able to stop doing something that is difficult or unpleasant or when something difficult or unpleasant stops or is delayed
Full Definition of RESPITE
1
: a period of temporary delay
2
: an interval of rest or relief
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Examples of RESPITE
- But in the middle of each semester there came a short respite, separate from the traditional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. —Martha Southgate, The Fall of Rome, 2002
- Six years more of toil they had to face before they could expect the least respite, the cessation of the payments upon the house … —Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906
- The laborer's day ends with the going down of the sun … but his employer, who speculates from month to month, has no respite from one end of the year to the other. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854
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Origin of RESPITE
Middle English respit, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin respectus, from Latin, act of looking back — more at respect
Rhymes with RESPITE
affright, air right, airtight, albite, Albright, alight, all right, all-night, a mite, aright, backbite, backlight, bauxite, bedight, birthright, black light, bleed white, bobwhite, bombsight, box kite, calcite, campsite, catfight, cockfight, contrite, cordite, Cushite, daylight, deadlight, delight, dendrite, despite, dogfight, downlight, downright, droplight, dust mite, earthlight, excite, eyebright, eyesight, fanlight, felsite, ferrite, finite, fire blight, firefight, firelight, first night, fistfight, flashlight, fleabite, floodlight, foresight, forthright, fortnight, freewrite, frostbite, Gadite, gall mite, gaslight, gastight, ghostwrite, goethite, graphite, green light, gummite, gunfight, half-light, halite, Hamite, handwrite, headlight, highlight, hindsight, Hittite, homesite, hoplite, Hussite, ignite, illite, infight, in-flight, incite, indict, indite, insight, in sight, invite, jacklight, jadeite, key light, lamplight, late blight, leucite, Levite, lighttight, lignite, limelight, lintwhite, lowlight, Lucite, Luddite, lyddite, marmite, Melchite, Memphite, midnight, millwright, moonlight, New Right, night-light, nitrite, off-site, off-white, on sight, on-site, outright, outsight, partite, peep sight, penlight, perlite, playwright, polite, preflight, prizefight, pyrite, quartzite, ratite, recite, red light, red-light, requite, rewrite, rushlight, rust mite, safelight, samite, searchlight, Semite, Servite, Shemite, Shiite, shipwright, sidelight, sit tight, skintight, skylight, skywrite, slant height, smectite, snakebite, snow-white, sound bite, spaceflight, spotlight, stage fright, starlight, sternite, sticktight, stoplight, streetlight, stylite, sulfite, sunlight, Sunnite, taillight, termite, thermite, tonight, torchlight, trothplight, Twelfth Night, twilight, twi-night, typewrite, unite, unsight, upright, uptight, wainwright, watch night, wax light, Web site, weeknight, wheelwright, white flight, white knight, x-height, zinc white
2respite
verb re·spite \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\
re·spit·edre·spit·ing
Definition of RESPITE
transitive verb
1
: to grant a temporary period of relief to : grant a respite to
Origin of RESPITE
(see 1respite)
First Known Use: 14th century
Rhymes with RESPITE
3respite
adjective re·spite \ˈres-pət also ri-ˈspīt, British usually ˈres-ˌpīt\
Definition of RESPITE
: providing or being temporary care in relief of a primary caregiver <respite care> <a respite worker>
Origin of RESPITE
(see 1respite)
First Known Use: 1978
RESPITE[1] Defined for Kids
respite
noun res·pite \ˈre-spət\
Definition of RESPITE for Kids
1
: a short delay
2
: a period of rest or relief <Matthias was glad of the brief respite after all the excitement. — Brian Jacques, Redwall>
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Next Word in the Dictionary: respitelessPrevious Word in the Dictionary: respirometerAll Words Near: respite
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