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| re·prieve [ ri prv ] |
transitive verb (past and past participle re·prieved, present participle re·priev·ing, 3rd person present singular re·prieves) |
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| Definition: |
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1. stop or postpone somebody's punishment: to halt or delay the punishment of somebody, especially when the punishment is death
(
often passive
)
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2. offer respite to somebody: to provide somebody with temporary relief from something harmful, especially danger or pain
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noun (plural re·prieves) |
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| Definition: |
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1. stopping or postponement of punishment: the halting or delay of somebody's punishment, especially when the punishment is death
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2. warrant halting or postponing punishment: a warrant giving the authority to stop or postpone somebody's punishment, especially when the punishment is death
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3. respite from something harmful: a relief from something harmful, especially danger or pain
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| [Mid-17th century. Alteration of obsolete repry "take back to prison, escape the death sentence" < Old French repris "taken back" < Latin reprehendere (see reprehend)] |
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  re·priev·a·ble adjective |
| re·priev·er noun |
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