Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive & intransitive verb To bring or come to an end; stop.
  • noun Cessation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cease; stop; be at an end; leave off; refrain finally.
  • To stop; put an end to; cause to cease.
  • noun Cessation; stop.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To cause to cease; to end.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To cease.
  • noun Cessation; stop; end.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The cessation of something or someone.
  • verb To come to an end; to desist.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a stopping

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English surcesen, variant (influenced by cesen, to cease) of sursesen, from Anglo-Norman surseser, from Old French surseoir, sursis-, to refrain, from Latin supersedēre; see supersede.]

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Examples

  • The Board of Prison Directors gave me my choice: a prison trustyship and surcease from the jute looms if I gave up the nonexistent dynamite; life imprisonment in solitary if I refused to give up the nonexistent dynamite.

    Chapter 4 2010

  • As every outraged nerve in my body cried for alleviation, so my tortured mind shrieked for surcease from the accusing memory of the things I had said and done while under the influence of alcohol.

    Madeleine: An Autobiography Madeleine 1919

  • The Board of Prison Directors gave me my choice: a prison trustyship and surcease from the jute looms if I gave up the nonexistent dynamite; life imprisonment in solitary if I refused to give up the nonexistent dynamite.

    Chapter 4 1915

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

  • This occupation is decades long and continues before our very eyes, with no prospect for near-term surcease for the Christian and Muslim Palestinians.

    Palestine Blogs aggregator 2010

Comments

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  • From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore

    January 18, 2007

  • For some reason, even though this word contains its meaning, I always find myself thinking it means either its opposite -- something that will not abate -- or else that it means "a lack of".

    February 16, 2007

  • He knew he must bring them surcease of their sorrow, as swiftly as possible, and clear up this painful misunderstanding.

    - William Steig, Zeke Pippin.

    August 11, 2008

  • I love this word.

    September 17, 2008

  • "I will not do't;

    Lest I surcease to honour mine own truth,

    And by my body's action teach my mind

    A most inherent baseness."

    - William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'.

    August 28, 2009