Respite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Respite; properly a delay, given for the further consideration of some matter, hence relief. In law the term is used of the postponement of the immediate execution of the law in criminal cases, e.g. by binding a convicted prisoner over to come up for judgment when called upon, or when a case is respited from one quarter sessions to another. The word is loosely used in the sense of a reprieve.

Respite may also refer to periods of time where relief is felt during an established conflict, such as combat or political turmoil.

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.