adjourn

English

Etymology

From Middle English ajournen, from Old French ajorner (French ajourner), from the phrase a jor (nomé) ("to an (appointed) day").

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈd͡ʒɝn/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈdʒɜːn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

adjourn (third-person singular simple present adjourns, present participle adjourning, simple past and past participle adjourned)

1. (transitive) To postpone.

   The trial was adjourned for a week.

2. (transitive) To defer; to put off temporarily or indefinitely.
   • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Danger and Mischief of delaying Repentance”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

     It is a common practice […] to adjourn the reformation of their lives to a further time.

3. (intransitive) To end or suspend an event.

   The court will adjourn for lunch.

   • 1876, Henry Martyn Robert, Robert’s Rules of Order‎^[1], Chicago: S.C. Griggs & Co., Article III, Section 10, pp. 25-26:

     The Form of this motion is, “When this assembly adjourns, it adjourns to meet at such a time.”

   • 1959, Tom Lehrer (lyrics and music), “We Will All Go Together When We Go”:

     When it's time for the fallout / And Saint Peter calls us all out / We'll just drop our agendas and adjourn

4. (intransitive, formal, uncommon) To move as a group from one place to another.

   After the dinner, we will adjourn to the bar.

Derived terms

• adjournment
• nonadjournment
• readjournment

Translations

to postpone

• Bulgarian: отлагам (bg) (otlagam), отсрочвам (bg) (otsročvam)
• Catalan: ajornar (ca), posposar (ca)
• Dutch: uitstellen (nl), verdagen (nl)
• French: ajourner (fr)
• German: unterbrechen (de) (short period of time), vertagen (de) (long period of time)
• Hungarian: elnapol (hu), elhalaszt (hu)
• Maori: hiki, pāuhu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ajournere (no), utsette (no)

• Romanian: amâna (ro)
• Russian: отложи́ть (ru) pf (otložítʹ), откла́дывать (ru) impf (otkládyvatʹ); отсро́чить (ru) pf (otsróčitʹ), отсро́чивать (ru) impf (otsróčivatʹ); оттяну́ть (ru) pf (ottjanútʹ), оття́гивать (ru) impf (ottjágivatʹ) (intentionally)
• Spanish: suspender (es), posponer (es), diferir (es)
• Swedish: ajournera (sv), flytta fram, skjuta upp (sv)

to defer

• Bulgarian: прекъсвам (bg) (prekǎsvam), правя пауза (pravja pauza)
• Catalan: ajornar (ca)
• Dutch: onderbreken (nl)
• French: ajourner (fr)
• German: aufschieben (de)
• Hungarian: halaszt (hu), elhalaszt (hu), elodáz (hu)
• Maori: pāuhu, whakatārewa, hiki, hiki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ajournere (no), utsette (no)

• Russian: де́лать (ru) (délatʹ) переры́в (ru) (pererýv), объявля́ть (ru) (obʺjavljátʹ) переры́в (ru) (pererýv)
• Spanish: aplazar (es), posponer (es)

to end or suspend an event

• Bulgarian: закривам (bg) (zakrivam)
• Catalan: suspendre (ca)
• Dutch: stopzetten (nl), afgelasten (nl)
• French: ajourner (fr)
• German: schließen (de), aufheben (de)
• Hungarian: felfüggeszt (hu), berekeszt (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: please add this translation if you can

• Russian: in different meanings закры́ть (ru) (zakrýtʹ), прекрати́ть (ru) (prekratítʹ), прерва́ть (ru) (prervátʹ), etc.
• Spanish: suspender (es)

to move from one place to another

• Bulgarian: премествам (bg) (premestvam)
• French: mouvoir (fr)
• German: sich begeben (de), sich zurückziehen (de) (participants); verlegen (de) (venue)
• Hungarian: megy (hu), átmegy (hu), átvonul (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: please add this translation if you can

• Russian: перемести́ться (ru) (peremestítʹsja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} ertelemek (tr)

Anagrams

• Jourdan