▪ I. respite, n.
(ˈrɛspɪt)
Forms: 3–7 respit, 6 -itt(e; 4–6 respyt(e, 5– respite; 4 respiȝt, 7–8 respight. See also respett.
[a. OF. respit (mod.F. répit):—L. respect-us respect n.]
I. 1. Delay, or extension of time, asked or granted for some reason (orig. for further consideration of a matter). Also in phr. to put in respite, = respite v. 4.
| c 1290 Beket 631 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 124 So þat respit was þar-of I-nome, and ech wende In his side. a 1300 Cursor M. 21508 Heri þe higt Of a dai respit and a night. c 1325 Song of Merci 185 in E.E.P. (1862) 124 Graunt vs repentaunce, and respiȝt, And schrift and hosel, or we day. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶104 Iob preyde respit a while to biwepe and waille his trespas. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 211 Yef I had respyte, Her to an answere cowde I counterfete. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 471 To assygne certayne indyfferent persones to agre the sayd erles, and they to haue halfe a yere of respyte for to quyet y⊇ matyer. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 112 b, The Prince called them before hym, geving them two monethes respite to deliberate. 1591 Spenser M. Hubberd 326 The Foxe then counsel'd th' Ape for to require Respite till morrow t' answere his desire. 1622 Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 94 Vpon proofe made, that he did will another to craue the said respite of time for the paiment. 1676 Dryden Aurengz. v. i, Give me some Respight, I'll discharge the Debt. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. App. ii. p. x, The process therein..is put between them in respite..untill the day of Easter in fifteen days. 1770 Junius Lett. xxxvi. (1788) 189 If I had followed the dictates of my own opinion, I should never have allowed you the respite of a moment. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iv. 288 The authorities of the church..were now allowed a respite of two years. 1875 Stubbs Const. Hist. II. xiv. 21 The articles that concerned the debts of the Jews, the right of entering and leaving the kingdom..were likewise put in respite until fuller counsel could be had. |
† b. respite of homage, the postponement of the act of personal homage, for which a small sum was paid at intervals into the Exchequer. Obs.
| 1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII, c. 22 Euerie person..suing for any generall liuerie..shall paie..for the respite of homage in the hanaper..viii.d. 1621 Abp. Williams in Fortescue P. (Camden) 169 Soe I may be restored to my temporalties with a respite of homage (which the King grants every day to laymen). [1656 Blount Glossogr., Respite or Respight of Homage was the forbearing of Homage which ought first of all to be performed by the Tenant, that held by Homage; which Respite was paid upon divers good reasons.] |
c. Delay specially granted in the carrying out of a capital sentence; a reprieve.
| 1722 De Foe Moll Flanders (1840) 342 A poor convict ordered to be transported in respite from the gallows. 1777 Johnson in Boswell 28 June I obtained..an account of the disposition of the court towards him, with a declaration that there was no hope even of a respite. 1861 Trench Comm. Ep. Churches Asia 11 There was for them no repeal of the sentence of death, but a respite only. 1869 Browning Ring & Bk. xi. 474 Much respite did I grant! Why grant me respite who deserve my doom? |
| transf. 1703 Prior Ode to Col. Villiers 30 Wisdom and Eloquence in vain would plead One Moment's Respite for the learned Head. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 67 But grant her end More distant, and that prophecy demands A longer respite. 1879 Froude Cæsar xiii. 180 The annihilation of those hordes had given Rome a passing respite. |
d. One who is respited or reprieved. rare.
| 1774 Ann. Reg. 169 The following capital respites in Newgate have received his majesty's mercy on condition of transportation. |
2. Temporary cessation of labour, suffering, war, etc.; (an) interval of rest.
| 13.. Coer de L. 5433 He doos hymself gret dishonour, That he schal Sarezynes respyt gyve. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 644 To dyȝe..& syþen wende to helle hete, Þer-inne to won with-oute respyt. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 5343 Litle respite at mych nede Falleth som tyme wele to spede. c 1481 Caxton Dialogues 29 He sayde to me That it shall be respyte Bitwene the englisshmen And the scottes. 1513 Douglas æneis xi. iii. heading, Quhow Eneas onto the Latynis gave Twelf days of respyt the deid corps to grave. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 162 Some respit to husbands the weather may send. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. i. 22 The short respite the Church had between the second and third Persecution. 1677 Lord Danby in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 523 Our master will take the two months' respite of arms..as an act of pure kindness to himself. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 49/2 When you think it time for a respite, cover the top of the Wall over with Straw. 1790 Burke Fr. Rev. Sel. Wks. II. 84 The king and queen..lay down..to indulge nature in a few hours of respite, and troubled, melancholy repose. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Religion, The clergy obtained respite from labour for the boor on the Sabbath. 1873 W. Mathews Getting on in World xvi. 285 When shall we learn..that frequent respites from toil are the very safety-valves of professional men? |
† 3. Delay in action; stay. Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce viii. 344 Quhen thai of the reirward saw Thair vawarde be sa discomfit, Thai flede vithouten mair respit. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 220 The god bad make no respit, That he ne scholde him slen anon. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 3147 Therfor send him hir without respit, Thou shalt it finde for thi profit. c 1477 Caxton Jason 42, [I] wolde that I were there..withoute ony respyte. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iv. i. 170 Our Selfe, my Lord Protector, and the rest, After some respit, will returne to Calice. |
† 4. Leisure; opportunity for doing something.
| 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) II. 316 The payne were longe, and great sholde be the charge, And to the same I haue to small respyte. 1577 Test. 12 Patriarchs (1604) 62 We fell upon the men of Jobel.., so as we gave them no respite to return again upon us. 1611 Bible 1 Macc. xii. 25 Hee..met them in the land of Amathis: for he gaue them no respite to enter his countrey. |
† 5. Time granted to one until the coming of a certain date. Obs. rare—1.
| 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 272 Where I had hope to spend, Quiet though sad, the respit of that day That must be mortal to us both. |
6. Mil. (See quot. and cf. respite v. 6 b.)
| 1823 Crabb, Respite..signifies, in military accounts, a certain sum of money, which is directed to be withholden from the issue of pay, in order to make up the several stoppages in regimental distributions. |
II. † 7. Respect; regard; comparison. Obs.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 137 Not I nat whi, but out of more respit, Myn herte hath for tamende it grete delit. 1382 Wyclif Ps. lxxii. 4 For ther is not respit to the deth of hem. ― Ecclus. xxxiv. 14 In respyt of hym it shal be blissid. c 1400 26 Pol. Poems 132 Mennes dayes ben shorte,..For in respyte of tyme euermare They beth nothyng equipolent. |
▪ II. respite, v.
(ˈrɛspɪt)
Forms: 4–5 respiten, 4– respite, 5–7 respyt(e, 6 Sc. resput, 7–8 respit(t; 6 respyght, 7 respight. Also 5 pa. pple. respite.
[a. OF. respiter, respoitier:—L. respectāre to respect.]
I. 1. trans. To grant a respite to (one).
| c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 854 But wolde ye vouche sauf vp on seuretee Two yeer or thre for to respiten me. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6084, I have fele dyverse wonyng, That I kepe not rehersed be, So that ye wolde respiten me. 1430–1 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 385/2 The saide tenantz..be respitid as wele of the taxe. c 1500 Lancelot 1162 Wharfor, me think It best is to delay, And resput hyme for a tuelmoneth day. 1530 Palsgr. 688/2, I maye well respyte hym for a whyle but he shall paye it every penny. 1622 Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 94 To desire the creditor to respit him some time for the paiment of it. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. xxiii. 354 The entry therefore on the roll or record is, ‘that the jury is respited, through defect of the jurors, till the first day of the next term’. |
b. esp. from death or execution.
| 13.. Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1005, ‘I schal him respite,’ saide th' emperour. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 77 And be this cause he was respited, So that the deth him was acquited. c 1450 Merlin 39 When they herde hym sey that thei sholbe respited fro deth thei were gladde. 1474 Caxton Chesse 11 Thus he respited hym of his deth by his debonayrte. 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxxxiv. 264 All the golde that is in the worlde shall not respyte them fro the deth. c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. xlix. iii, Tell me whome, but longer time hee [death] leaves Respited from the tombe for treasures meed? 1608 Shakes. Per. i. i. 116 Forty days longer we do respite you. 1648 Bp. Hall Breathings Devout Soul (1851) 163 It is for something, sure, that thou hast thus long respited me from my grave. 1704 Prior Let. to Boileau Despreaux, Alcides respited by prudent Fate, Sustain'd the Ball. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles ii. v, As some poor criminal might feel, When, from the gibbet or the wheel, Respited for a day. 1869 Browning Ring & Bk. xi. 360 Respite me, save a soul. then, curse the world! |
| transf. 1748 Hartley Observ. Man ii. iv. 369 All Bodies Politic seem..to be respited for certain Intervals by partial, imperfect Reformations. 1866 Crump Banking ix. 189 It was deemed wise to respite the small notes till 1833. |
| absol. 1788 Priestley Lect. Hist. v. xlvii. 350 Our mode of respiting for the sake of benefiting the souls of the criminals. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 98 He respiteth, but suffereth not to escape. |
† c. To save or prolong (one's life). Obs.
| 1474 Caxton Chesse 64 Put hym self in parelle of deth for to respyte hys maysters lyf. 1483 ― G. de la Tour N iij b, I neuer shold respyte ne saue to no man hys lyf, whiche had deserued to deye. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. iii. 41 Oh iniurious Loue That respits me a life, whose very comfort Is still a dying horror. |
† 2. To relieve by an interval of rest. Obs.
| 1563 Golding Cæsar v. (1565) 115 In doyng herof he spent ten dayes, not respityng hys souldiers from their labour so muche as the nyght tyme. 1615 Crooke Body of Man 40 Then all the faculties are respited and cease from their functions. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 232 From the heat of Noon retir'd, To respit his day-labour with repast, Or with repose. 1670 ― Hist. Eng. ii. 43 With a dreadful industry of ten days, not respiting his Souldiers day or night. |
II. 3. To grant delay or postponement of (a sentence, punishment, obligation, etc.).
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 116 Thus be we come forto preie That ye mi worldes deth respite. c 1440 Generydes 1641 Thanne to the Sowdon furth with all they went,..And prayed hym to respite the Iugement. 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 143 For to respite her dethe and aquite her of alle shame. 1577 Grindal Let. Wks. (1843) 395 By that occasion my appearance was respited; and I now remain as a man in suspense. 1621 H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 79 The Kinge hathe respyted his going to the Tower in this tyme of his greate sicknes. 1668 J. Owen Expos. Ps. cxxx. Wks. 1851 VI. 481 The full and final punishment of these angels is reserved and respited unto the appointed season. 1758 Ann. Reg. i. 100/2 A reprieve was brought to Newgate for Dr. Hensey, respiting his sentence for a fortnight. 1760 T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. (1765) 343 The execution was only respited a few months. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 541 The conveyances to be made in pursuance of the partition, are respited, till the infant comes of age. 1885 Daily Tel. 3 Feb., The recognisances of the witnesses for the prosecution were respited sine die. |
† b. To remit (a penalty). Obs. rare.
| 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. iii. xvii. 207 The law ought to be respited to hym, and the lyf saued. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xxxi. 95 Thou shalt neuer departe hense alyue, I shall neuer respyght thy dethe. |
† c. To allow to remain unpaid for a time. Obs.
| 1640 Recorde's Gr. Artes 609 By this Table you may know what any Annuitie being respited or forborn for any number of yeers..will come unto. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. iv. §1 They were promised payment upon the public faith in November following; till which time they were to respite it. 1757 Burke Abridgm. Eng. Hist. Wks. X. 213 The taxes..extorted without mercy, and even, when respited, made utterly ruinous by exorbitant usury. |
4. To delay, postpone, put off.
| c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 1851 No lenger put ye in delay His desire to Respite. c 1450 Merlin 105 Thei seide, ‘We wolde that his sacringe and coronacion be respite to Penticoste’. 1521 St. Papers I. 33 Ye mowght have respityd the directyng of your letters. 1610 Donne Pseudo-martyr Advt. to Rdr., To giue my Reasons, why I respited the handling of the two last Chapters. 1683 Pettus Fleta Min. Ded., I must respit that intention, for I have not done with this Subject. 1707 J. Stevens tr. Quevedo's Com. Wks. (1709) 5 If you please, Reader, to respit your other Business,..I will relate some Passages that will not be unpleasant. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lv. 269 He had not now leisure to consider a matter of so great importance, and must therefore respite his answer till his return. 1834 Wordsw. Even. Volunt. iv, Care may be respited, but not repealed. 1865 Bushnell Vicar. Sacr. ii. iv. (1868) 203 His whole feeling is now loose upon him, respited by no occupation. |
5. To cease from, give up (obs.); to suspend.
| c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 259 Your manly Rayson aught it for to Respite To slee your frende. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 3101 More worship ye might Acheve To respite youre wilfulnes, And by youre counsel you redres. c 1460 Sir R. Ros La Belle Dame 409 But þat sykenes will sone be remedyde. Respyte your thought, and put all þis a-syde. 1570 T. Norton tr. Nowel's Catech. (1853) 129 That, after respiting their work awhile, they may return more fresh and lusty to it again. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 49/2 At what distances it is proper to respite the Work, we may gather from the thickness of the Wall. 1817 T. Scott Paris Revisit. (ed. 4) 83 As if all the common rules of intercourse had been respited, and the usual calls of industry..overpowered by more inspiring invitations. |
6. Mil. a. To suspend (one) from pay.
| 1705 Lond. Gaz. No. 4106/3 Our Officers are all commanded to repair..to their respective Posts, on pain of being Respited. 1708 Ibid. No. 4419/6 Such as shall not then appear will be Respited, and receive no more Pay from that time. 1802 James Milit. Dict. s.v., To be respited on the muster roll, to be suspended from pay, &c. during which period all advantages of promotion, pay, &c. are stopped. |
b. To keep back, withhold (pay).
| 1802 James Milit. Dict. s.v., The money which is respited upon the muster-roll is accounted for by the muster master general. 1844 Regul. & Ord. Army 87 The Pay of all Officers, who do not join their Regiments on the expiration of their Leave of Absence, is to be withheld,..and the pay so respited is not to be issued to them [etc.]. |
† 7. intr. a. To refrain, desist. Obs. rare.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 91 Men schal respite As now to take vengement. Ibid. 369 Thelaphus..preith his fader to respite. Achilles tho withdrowh his hond. |
† b. To rest; to recover from something. Obs.
| 1575 Turberv. Trag. T. (1837) 28 For I and mine will respite here a space, I like the seate, and fancie well the place. 1769 Goldsm. Hist. Rome (1786) I. 390 It was hoped..that the commonwealth would have time to respite from the calamities it had sustained. |