Frist

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A set period of postponement or grace allowed before a task, payment, or obligation must be completed
2. The extra time or respite that is granted so that a deadline can be met later than originally set
3. An interval of delay permitted before an action is required, often in legal or contractual settings

Etymology: Old English "fierst" meant a span of time: a period, a respite, even a truce. Its Proto-Germanic ancestor, "fristiz," meant an appointed date. The same stem gave German "Frist," still used for a deadline, and Swedish "frist" for a reprieve. English kept the sense of a grant of extra time. The verb grew from the same stem. Old English "fyrstan" meant to defer or put off, and Middle English took it up as a verb meaning to delay. Its German cousin "fristen" means "to eke out," a hint at stretching time thin. The root is also shared with "first," which traces back to a Proto-Indo-European base meaning "forward, forth, beyond."