delay
UK[dɪˈleɪ]US[dɪˈleɪ]
v
To cause someone or something to be slow or late
v
To decide or arrange to do something at a later time
n
A situation in which something happens later or more slowly than planned
Etymology
The word 'delay' entered English in the 13th century from the Old French 'delaiier', which meant "to leave, to defer". This Old French term was itself a compound, formed from the prefix 'de-', meaning "away", and 'laier', a variant of 'laissier', meaning "to leave". The ultimate source is the Latin verb 'dilatare', meaning "to spread out, extend, postpone", from 'dis-' (apart) and 'latus' (wide). The semantic journey from the literal idea of "spreading apart" or "leaving aside" to the modern abstract concept of causing lateness or postponement is clear and logical.
Analysis
The word 'delay' is a simplex word borrowed as a whole from Old French. It does not contain separable, productive morphemes in modern English that are direct substrings of the current spelling.
Examples
Heavy traffic may delay your arrival.
We had to delay the meeting until next week.
The project was completed after a long delay.