Pause
/pɔːz/noun
A temporary stop or break in action or speech.
Did you know?English pause ultimately traces back to Greek pauein, “to stop,” the same root behind medical and scientific words like apnea, where breath literally stops.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pau-
“to stop, cease”
Ancient Greek
Greek
παύειν (pauein)
“to stop, make cease”
Latin
Latin
pausare
“to pause, rest, stop”
Old French
Old French
pauser
“to stop, rest, delay”
Middle English
English
pausen
“to pause, stop briefly”
Modern English
English
pause
“a temporary stop or break”