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mor·a·to·ri·um

(môr′ə-tôrē-əm, mŏr′-)

n. pl. mor·a·to·ri·ums or mor·a·to·ri·a (-tôrē-ə)

1. Law

a. A lawful suspension of the payment of certain debts during a period of financial or civil distress.

b. The period during which such a suspension occurs.

2. A suspension of an ongoing or planned activity: a moratorium on timber cutting.

[From Late Latin morātōrium, neuter of morātōrius, delaying, from Latin morātus, past participle of morārī, to delay, from mora, delay.]

mora·to′ry adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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