Meanings
plural cessations
- countableformaluncountableA ceasing or discontinuance, for example of an action, whether temporary or final.
it might be advisable to permit the temporary cessation of the papal inquisition
1856, John Lothrop Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic. A History. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC2 more examples
The day […]was […]yearly observ'd for a festival Day by cessation from Labour.
1630, John Hayward, The Life and Raigne of King Edward VIWith the cessation of hostilities, the military traffic declined considerably, although at least two years will be required to remove the many thousands of tons of explosives still stored at the depot.
1947 January and February, “Wartime Traffic at Tanfield, L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 47Synonyms: hiatus, moratorium, recess, endpoint, terminus, close
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA ceasing or discontinuance, for example of an action, whether temporary or final.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincessātiō
- Middle Frenchcessation
- Englishcessation
Borrowed from Middle French cessation, itself a borrowing from Latin cessātiō. By surface analysis, cease + -ation. Compare cession < cede.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic وَقْف
- وَقْف (waqf)a ceasing or discontinuance
Bulgarian прекратя́ване, спи́ране
- прекратя́ване (prekratjávane)a ceasing or discontinuance
- спи́ране (spírane)a ceasing or discontinuance
- прекраще́ние (prekrašténie)a ceasing or discontinuance
Catalan cessació
- cessacióa ceasing or discontinuance
Chinese Mandarin 停止, 中止
- 停止 (tíngzhǐ)a ceasing or discontinuance
- 中止 (zhōngzhǐ)a ceasing or discontinuance
Czech zastavení
- zastavenía ceasing or discontinuance
Dutch beëindiging
- beëindiginga ceasing or discontinuance
Finnish lakkaaminen, lopettaminen
- lakkaaminena ceasing or discontinuance
- lopettaminena ceasing or discontinuance
French cessation
- cessationa ceasing or discontinuance
German Unterbrechung, Einstellung
- Unterbrechunga ceasing or discontinuance
- Einstellunga ceasing or discontinuance
Greek κατάπαυση, αναστολή
- κατάπαυση (katápafsi)a ceasing or discontinuance
- αναστολή (anastolí)a ceasing or discontinuance
- διακοπή (diakopí)a ceasing or discontinuance
Hindi विरति
- विरति (virti)a ceasing or discontinuance
Irish faill
- failla ceasing or discontinuance
Italian cessazione
- cessazionea ceasing or discontinuance
Japanese 停止, 中止
- 停止 (teishi)a ceasing or discontinuance
- 中止 (chūshi)a ceasing or discontinuance
Korean 정지, 중지
- 정지 (jeongji)a ceasing or discontinuance
- 중지 (jungji)a ceasing or discontinuance
Māori pārirātanga
- pārirātangaa ceasing or discontinuance
Polish zaprzestanie
- zaprzestaniea ceasing or discontinuance
Russian прекраще́ние
- прекраще́ние (prekraščénije)a ceasing or discontinuance
Slovak zastavenie
- zastaveniea ceasing or discontinuance
Spanish cese, cesación
- cesea ceasing or discontinuance
- cesacióna ceasing or discontinuance
- cesamientoa ceasing or discontinuance
Ukrainian припи́нення
- припи́нення (prypýnennja)a ceasing or discontinuance
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cessation
Cite this entry
cessation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cessation
“cessation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cessation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cessation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cessation.
Source: cessation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.