Origin: Latin suffix -ance
Abeyance has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
temporary cessation or suspension
Expectancy; condition of ownership of real property being undetermined; lapse in succession of ownership of estate, or title.
The word "abeyance" entered English in 1528 with the meaning of a legal expectation. It ultimately traces back to a root related to yawning, evolving through Old French and Anglo-Norman to signify desire or aspiration.