moratorium
the temporary suspension of an activity
TRANSLATION
moratorium = der zeitlich befristete Stopp, der Aufschub --- GOOGLE INDEX moratorium: approximately 14,500,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The International Whaling Commission signed the first MORATORIUM on whale hunting in Brighton.
(BBC News)
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US drops oil drilling MORATORIUM
(The Guardian)
(BBC News)
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US drops oil drilling MORATORIUM
(The Guardian)
Did you
know?
moratorium
noun
- a suspension of an ongoing or planned activity
(legal/finance)
- an authorization to a debtor, such as a bank or nation, permitting temporary suspension of payments
- an authorized period of delay in the performance of an obligation
(American Heritage Dictionary)
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Moratorium is a (mainly) political tool to stop an activity for a specific period of time. While the idea has been around for centuries, activists have given it a lot of attention since the last half of the 20th century. Moratoriums have been recommended and/or implemented for a variety of issues ranging from off-shore drilling, nuclear power, nuclear weapons and genetically-modified foods to land and building development such as airport expansions.
A moratorium on capital punishment - or the death penalty as it is called - has long been debated in the U.S. for instance. The federal government has discussed a moratorium on use of the electric chair, which once prompted the state of Arkansas to consider alternatives. One of the Arkansas state legislators sarcastically proposed the Middle Aged custom of "drawing and quartering" to be performed by tractors: one driven by the Governor, one driven by the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, one by the foreman of the convicting jury, and one by the Arkansas Sheriff's Association.
Should a felon survive the ordeal, he suggested that "molten lead be poured into his or her navel," and the body be disembowelled, beheaded and displayed in the Capitol building in Little Rock. Moreover, executions would be held in a public stadium, with priority seating reserved for the felon's family.
Etymology: neuter (used as a noun) of late Latin moratorius "delaying," from Latin morat- "delayed," from the verb morari, from mora "delay"
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SYNONYMS
ban, deferment, delay, freeze, stay, suspension
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Some people would like to see a moratorium on mobile phones on trains and busses.
noun
- a suspension of an ongoing or planned activity
(legal/finance)
- an authorization to a debtor, such as a bank or nation, permitting temporary suspension of payments
- an authorized period of delay in the performance of an obligation
(American Heritage Dictionary)
---
Moratorium is a (mainly) political tool to stop an activity for a specific period of time. While the idea has been around for centuries, activists have given it a lot of attention since the last half of the 20th century. Moratoriums have been recommended and/or implemented for a variety of issues ranging from off-shore drilling, nuclear power, nuclear weapons and genetically-modified foods to land and building development such as airport expansions.
A moratorium on capital punishment - or the death penalty as it is called - has long been debated in the U.S. for instance. The federal government has discussed a moratorium on use of the electric chair, which once prompted the state of Arkansas to consider alternatives. One of the Arkansas state legislators sarcastically proposed the Middle Aged custom of "drawing and quartering" to be performed by tractors: one driven by the Governor, one driven by the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, one by the foreman of the convicting jury, and one by the Arkansas Sheriff's Association.
Should a felon survive the ordeal, he suggested that "molten lead be poured into his or her navel," and the body be disembowelled, beheaded and displayed in the Capitol building in Little Rock. Moreover, executions would be held in a public stadium, with priority seating reserved for the felon's family.
Etymology: neuter (used as a noun) of late Latin moratorius "delaying," from Latin morat- "delayed," from the verb morari, from mora "delay"
---
SYNONYMS
ban, deferment, delay, freeze, stay, suspension
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Some people would like to see a moratorium on mobile phones on trains and busses.
