Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

moratorium

/ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English

Syllables: mo-ra-to-ri-um
IPA: /ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

5

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.

noun

A suspension of an ongoing activity.

noun

A period of delay granted to someone, especially an adolescent or young adult, during which they are not yet required to take on adult obligations or make permanent commitments; an extended phase of identity exploration.

Example Sentences

"Canada may put a moratorium on cloning for research."
"It so happened that at that time the moratorium on the death penalty caused by the Supreme Court decision in the Furman case was still in effect."
"If such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, governments should step in and institute a moratorium."
"Proponents of an AI moratorium had argued that a patchwork of state and local AI laws is hindering progress in the AI industry and the ability of U.S. firms to compete with China."

Etymology

New Latin from Late Latin morātōrium, noun use of the neuter of morātōrius (“moratory, delaying”), from Latin moror (“to delay”), from mora (“delay”), from Proto-Indo-European *mere (“to delay, hinder”). See also moratory.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *(s)mer-, morātōrium, moror, *mere

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/
British English: /ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əm/

Inflected Forms

moratoriums (plural) moratoria (plural)

Derived Forms

postmoratorium

Frequently Paired Words

moratory

Synonyms

hiatus interruption recess

Rhymes With

auditorium emporium crematorium

Questions

How do you pronounce moratorium?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/.
What does moratorium mean?: An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
Where does moratorium come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce moratorium

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