demur
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: law
Etymology: From Middle English demuren (“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”), from Anglo-Norman demorer and Old French demorer, demourer (“to remain, stay”) (modern French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin dēmorāre, from Latin dēmorārī, the present active infinitive of Latin dēmoror (“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + moror (“to delay, detain; to hinder, impede; to linger, loiter”) (from mora (“a delay; hindrance, obstacle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking; to remember”), probably referring to a time for thinking) + -or (variant of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).
Inflected forms:
form: demurs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: demurring
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: demur
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: demur
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: demur
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: demurrest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: demurredst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: demurs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: demurreth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: demur
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: demur
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: demur
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: demurring
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: demurred
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: demurs
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be reluctant; to balk, to take exception.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: I demur to that statement.
The personnel demurred at the management’s new scheme.
The Sultan […] deſiring him novv to ratifie them, and in demonſtration thereof to give his hand to the Kings Embaſſadours. The Caliph demurred hereat, as counting ſuch a geſture a diminution to his State; […]
My proceſs vvas alvvays very ſimple—in their younger days, 'tvvas 'Jack, do this;'—if he demur'd—I knock'd him dovvn—and if he grumbled at that—I alvvays ſent him out of the room.
What! thou demurrest? I tell thee I'll be his surety, and thou hast my warrant.
Thou still demurrest? Read once more / The lines obnoxious to thy score, / And sure I am thou'lt find / There's not a passage in the book / Where, lesson'd thus, thou mayst not look, / Nor leave thy scrawls behind.
Work with my hands out of doors was the only thing I felt I could bear to-day. It wasn't the first time, I reflected, that peace has been found among cabbages. Antoine demurred, of course, but did at last consent to let me pick red currants.
"I'm a fine human being — caring, supportive...." I had always thought you were supposed to wait for others to point those things out. And then you were supposed to demur.
gloss: To submit a demurrer (“motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”).
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: He that demurreth in Law confeſſeth all ſuch matters of fact as are well and ſufficiently pleaded.
The plaintiff demurred, that is to say, admitted Sir Edward [Hales]'s plea to be true in fact, but denied that it was a sufficient answer.
gloss: To endure, to last.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
gloss: To linger, to tarry.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: The Eele is here, and in this hollow cave / You'll finde, if that our looks on it demurre, / A great wast in the bottome of his furre.
gloss: To remain, to stay.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
gloss: To suspend judgment or proceedings because of a difficulty or doubt; to put off the conclusion or determination of a matter; to delay, to hesitate, to pause.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
examples: [The Governor of Picardie and Chastilion of Newhaven said] there muſt be much vvaſt of time if the Engliſh ſhould lye at Guiſnes and the French at Ardes, and that the equality vvould be more, and the diſhonour to one of the ſides leſſe, if the entervievv ſhould be vpon the Frontires, then if one part ſhould be dravven into the territory of the other. Vpon this rubbe the Engliſh Embaſſadors thought fit to demurre, and ſo ſent into England to receiue directions from the Lords of the counſaile.
The doore of grace turnes upon ſmooth hinges vvide opening to ſend out, but ſoon ſhutting to recall the precious offers of mercy to a nation:[…]. This is all vve get by demurring in Gods ſervice.
VVell, the VVeſt-Saxon King vvas quickly overcome, and all his Complices either killed, or conquered, and yet King Edvvine demurred to embrace Chriſtianity.
[T]he Tyrant ſent the Bull for a Preſent to Delphi; and the Delphians demurring, vvhether they ſhould accept it or no, he makes tvvo Orations in Phalaris’s Name to perſuade them to receive it: […]
I aſſure you, Ma'am, you are the firſt lady vvho ever made me even demur upon this ſubject; […]
gloss: To have doubts; to be doubtful.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
rare
gloss: Followed by upon: to be captivated or fixated; to dwell on, to linger.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
gloss: To object or take exception to (something).
pos: verb
tags: rare
transitive
examples: I demur the inference from these facts that Homer must have lived at some far later period, when he could have seen such works. Even if he had never seen any representations of life, his imagination might have conceived them.
gloss: To cause delay to (someone or something); to put off.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: [The Jews believe that God] ſitteth in iudgement, and out of the books taketh reckoning of eurie mans life, and pronounceth ſentence accordingly. […] [T]he third, of the meane ſort, vvhoſe iudgement is demurred vntill the day of Reconciliation, (the tenth of Tiſri,) that if in the meane time they ſeriouſly repent them ſo, that their good may exceed their euill, then are they entred into the Booke of life; if othervviſe, they are recorded in the Blacke Bill of Death.
I ask'd the Lavvyer; He demands a Fee, / And then demurres me vvith a vaine delay: […]
[…] I ſvvear by yonder pole, / Nay by my fathers Rurall ſoul, / Henceforth to take a rougher courſe, / And, vvhat you vvould demur, to force.
gloss: To have doubts or hesitate about (something).
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: VVhat may this mean? Language of Man pronounc't / By Tongue of Brute, and human ſenſe expreſt? / The firſt at leſt of theſe I thought deni'd / To Beaſts, vvhom God on thir Creation-Day / Created mute to all articulat ſound; / The latter I demurre, for in thir looks / Much reaſon, and in thir actions oft appeers.
gloss: An act of objecting or taking exception; a scruple; also, an exception taken or objection to something.
pos: noun
examples: If publique Aſſemblies of Divines cannot agree upon a right vvay, private Conventicles of illeterate men, vvill ſoon finde a vvrong. Bivious demurres breed devious reſolutions. Paſſengers to heaven are in haſte, and vvill vvalk one vvay or other.
All my demurrs but double his attacks; / At laſt he vvhiſpers, "Do; and vve go ſnacks."
Nicholas was not much disposed to sleep, being in truth too anxious, so after a little demur he accepted the offer, […]
Most geologists today would accept such evidence without demur, but it was still 'fringe' science when [Alexander] du Toit was publishing.
gloss: An act of continuing; a continuance.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: [G]ood People, living vvithin the Limits of true and lavvful Matrimony, ſhall not by Malice or ill VVill, be ſo long detained and interrupted from their Right, as in times paſt they have been: Neither unjuſt Matrymony ſhall have his unjuſt and inceſtuous demoure and continuance, as by delayes to Rome it is vvont to have.
gloss: An act of lingering or tarrying.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: [A]lbeit his Highneſs had cauſe, as the ſame vvrote, to marvel of your long demor, and lack of expedition of one or other of the things committed to your charge; yet did his Highneſs right vvell perſuade unto himſelf the default not to be in you, but in ſome other cauſe, […]
gloss: An act of remaining or staying; a residence, a stay.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: VVe ſavv this tovvn only in tranſitu, but it merited a little demurr.
gloss: A state of having doubts; a hesitation, a pause.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: The King told me, […] That I ſhould have the Character of Ambaſſador Extraordinary, and the ſame Allovvance I ſhou'd have had in Spain: Upon this Offer I made no Demurr, but immediately accepted it, and ſo my Ambaſſy vvas declar'd in May 1674.
gloss: Synonym of demurrer (“a motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”).
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: [W]ith Rejoinders and Replies, / Long Bills, and Anſvvers, ſtuft vvith Lies, / Demurr, Imparlance, and Eſſoign, / The Parties ne'er could Iſſue join: / For Sixteen Years the Cauſe vvas ſpun, / And then ſtood vvhere it firſt begun.
Related words: demurrage
Derived words: demurrable
demurral
demurrer
demurring
Translations: