1. a temporary prohibition of an activity: "a moratorium on the use of drift nets"
▪ a legal authorization to debtors to postpone payment:"the debt was to be subject to a five-year moratorium"
Word Originlate 19th century: modern Latin, neuter (used as a noun) of late Latin moratorius ‘delaying’, from Latin morat- ‘delayed’, from the verb morari, from mora ‘delay’.