Ceasing

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsiːsɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The termination of an ongoing process or event occurs when an action is intentionally stopped or when a condition is no longer maintained
2. An act or process coming to an end or being brought to a halt
3. The point at which something no longer continues or is discontinued

Etymology: "Ceasing" comes from the Latin verb "cedere," which meant "to go away" or "to yield," and its frequentative "cessare" carried the sense of repeatedly leaving off or pausing. The idea is that stopping is a kind of withdrawal: one moves away from an activity until it no longer continues. The Latin form passed through Old French "cesser" before reaching Middle English as "cesen" and "cessen," the sources of the modern verb. English thus kept a sense of motion inside a word that now describes simply ending. The same Latin root sits behind "secede," which preserves the older picture of walking apart from a group.

Synonyms: stopping, ending

Antonyms: continuing, persisting