demur

Verb

1. (intransitive) Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be reluctant; to balk, to take exception.
2. (intransitive) To submit a demurrer (“motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”).
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To endure, to last.
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To linger, to tarry.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To remain, to stay.
6. (intransitive, obsolete) To suspend judgment or proceedings because of a difficulty or doubt; to put off the conclusion or determination of a matter; to delay, to hesitate, to pause.
7. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To have doubts; to be doubtful.
8. (figuratively, intransitive, obsolete) Followed by upon: to be captivated or fixated; to dwell on, to linger.
9. (rare, transitive) To object or take exception to (something).
10. (obsolete, transitive) To cause delay to (someone or something); to put off.
11. (obsolete, transitive) To have doubts or hesitate about (something).

Noun

1. An act of objecting or taking exception; a scruple; also, an exception taken or objection to something.
2. (obsolete) An act of continuing; a continuance.
3. (obsolete) An act of lingering or tarrying.
4. (obsolete) An act of remaining or staying; a residence, a stay.
5. (obsolete) A state of having doubts; a hesitation, a pause.
6. (obsolete) Synonym of demurrer (“a motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”).

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɪˈmɜː(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: demuren

In summary

PIE word
*de
From Middle English demuren (“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”), from Anglo-Norman demorer and Old French demorer, demourer (“to remain, stay”) (modern French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin dēmorāre, from Latin dēmorārī, the present active infinitive of Latin dēmoror (“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + moror (“to delay, detain; to hinder, impede; to linger, loiter”) (from mora (“a delay; hindrance, obstacle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking; to remember”), probably referring to a time for thinking) + -or (variant of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

Synonyms

objection

demurrer

scruple

qualm

boggle

protest

except

object

balk

have one’s doubts

shy

demurral

contravene

controvert

countercheck

delay

diffidence

disagree

dispute

dissent

doubt

falter

gainsay

go against

grumble

hang back

hesitance

hesitancy

hesitate

hesitation

hold out

indecision

negative

negativism

oppose

opposition

pause

postulation

professing

proposition

recoil

rejoinder

resist

shilly shally

shirk

shrink

snub

stand

stand out

stand up

Translations

reparo

αντίρρηση

objection

objetar

itiraz

tereddüt etmek

αντιτείνω

objecter

weifelen

objeção

zögern

irresolución

Einwendung

ένσταση

διστάζω