cease

views updated May 29 2018

cease / sēs/ • v. [intr.] come to an end: the hostilities had ceased and normal life was resumed. ∎  [tr.] bring (a specified action) to an end: they were asked to cease all military activity.PHRASES: never cease to (in hyperbolic use) do something very frequently: her exploits never cease to amaze me.without cease without stopping.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

cease

views updated Jun 11 2018

cease XIV. ME. ces(s)en — (O)F. cesser :- L. cessāre stop, f. cess-, pp. stem of cēdere yield, CEDE.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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