adjournment
UK[əˈdʒɜːnmənt]US[əˈdʒɜːrnmənt]
n
the act of stopping a meeting, legal case, or other official activity for a period of time
n
the period of time during which such an activity is stopped
Morpheme Breakdown
ad
journ
ment
ad
to
journ
day,
ment
Etymology
the word 'adjournment' has a literal foundation in the concept of daily scheduling. it entered english from old french 'ajorner', meaning "to summon (someone) to appear on a specified day." this french term derived from the vulgar latin 'adjurnare', a combination of the latin prefix 'ad-' ("to") and 'diurnus' ("daily"), from 'dies' ("day"). the core notion is thus to postpone or defer a matter to another day. the suffix '-ment', also of latin origin via french, was added to form the noun describing the act or result of this postponement. over time, the meaning broadened from its specific legal and parliamentary origins to encompass any formal suspension of proceedings.
Analysis
Structure: ad + journ + ment
ad: latin origin, a prefix meaning "to" or "toward," indicating direction or addition.
journ: old french origin, from 'jour' meaning "day," functioning as the core root.
ment: latin origin (via old french), a suffix forming nouns that denote an action, process, or result.
Examples
the judge granted an adjournment of the trial until new evidence could be reviewed.
the committee meeting concluded with a motion for adjournment.
the parliament's summer adjournment lasts for six weeks.