/ rɪˈpriːv; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ vn ] [ usually passive ] (not usually used in the progressive tenses)
1.
to officially cancel or delay a punishment for a prisoner who is condemned to death :
a reprieved murderer
2.
to officially cancel or delay plans to close sth or end sth :
70 jobs have been reprieved until next April.
■ noun [ usually sing. ]
1.
an official order stopping a punishment, especially for a prisoner who is condemned to death
SYN stay of execution
2.
a delay before sth bad happens :
Campaigners have won a reprieve for the hospital threatened with closure.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent. (as the past participle repryed ): from Anglo-Norman French repris , past participle of reprendre , from Latin re- back + prehendere seize. The insertion of -v- (16th cent.) remains unexplained. Sense development has undergone a reversal, from the early meaning send back to prison , via postpone a legal process , to the current sense rescue from impending punishment .