Layover

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈleɪˌəʊvə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A temporary stop during travel where one waits before continuing the journey
2. An interruption in a trip at a place to await further travel arrangements
3. A brief pause at an intermediate location during a journey before continuing to the final destination

Etymology: "Layover" is a compound of "lay" and "over," the two words joined to describe a traveller pausing partway through a journey. The verb "lay," in the sense of putting something down or setting it in place, combined with "over" in its older sense of remaining or staying somewhere, gives the image of a journey being set down for a while before it resumes. The noun formed from this phrasal verb took on the specific meaning of a stop during travel, and that is the sense it carries in modern English, especially for flights connecting through an airport.

Synonyms: stopover, break, halt

Antonyms: continuation, direct flight