ABEYANCE: 1: a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested 2: temporary inactivity: suspension
"Abeyance" has something in common with"yawn." Today, "yawn" connotes sleepiness or boredom, but years ago it could also signify longing or desire. The Old French word for "yawn" was baer, which took on the prefix a- ("in a state or condition of") to form abaer, a verb meaning "to expect or await." There followed Anglo-French abeyance, which referred to state of expectation - specifically, a person's expectation of inheriting a title or property. But when we borrowed the term in the 16th century, we applied the expectation to the property itself. In other words, a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner.
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