- Today's Word
Moratorium
mor-uh-TOR-ee-um
Definition
(noun) A temporary suspension or delay of an activity, often by legal authority.
Example
The city announced a moratorium on new construction permits.
Fun Fact
Moratorium is often used in legal, governmental, or corporate settings to put a temporary halt to something controversial or under review—think eviction moratoriums or moratoriums on drilling. It originally comes from Latin morari, meaning “to delay.” You’ll often hear it in debates around environmental policy, legislation, and labor strikes—where it signals a pause, but not a solution.
(adjective) Weak, fragile, or insubstantial; having little strength, substance, or basis.
Their partnership rested on a tenuous agreement that neither side fully trusted.
From Latin tenuis, meaning “thin” or “slender,” referring to something delicate or stretched out.