Crossword clues for surcease
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Surcease \Sur*cease"\, n. [F. sursis, from sursis, p. p. of
surseoir to suspend, postpone, defer, in OF., to delay,
refrain from, forbear, L. supersedere. Surcease is not
connected with E. cease. See Supersede.]
Cessation; stop; end. ``Not desire, but its surcease.''
--Longfellow.
It is time that there were an end and surcease made of
this immodest and deformed manner of writing.
--Bacon.
Surcease \Sur*cease"\, v. t.
To cause to cease; to end. [Obs.] ``The waves . . . their
range surceast.''
--Spenser.
The nations, overawed, surceased the fight.
--Dryden.
Surcease \Sur*cease"\, v. i. To cease. [Obs.]
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
early 15c., "cease from an action, desist," from Anglo-French surseser, Old French sursis, past participle of surseoir "to refrain, delay," from Latin supersedere "forbear, refrain or desist from" (see supersede). The English spelling with -c- was influenced by the unrelated verb cease. As a noun from 1580s.
Wiktionary
n. cessation; stop; end vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To come to an end; to desist. 2 (context transitive English) To bring to an end.
WordNet
n. a stopping; "a cessation of the thunder" [syn: cessation]
Usage examples of "surcease".
He sprawled across a blanketless canvas cot and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the surcease of the silent dark.
Irishtown to success as an advertising executive, only to fall under the spell of Siva McNulty, lovely, alluring but already addicted to Plonk, the insidious mixture of stout, brandy and coarse-ground poppyheads which brings surcease to screaming nerves and abraded passions.
Although I am, of course, aware of your medical background, I still cannot bring myself to tell you exact details of the appalling, hideously agonizing things that those beasts did to me over the months that they held me, things which caused me to scream for the mercy of death, to piteously beg in vain, to pray, even, that whatever power there may be grant me the boon of death, of final surcease from the endless rounds of tortures, maimings, disfigurements, and mutilations.
The Invincible would not be able to replace any memories that Borenson had lost, or grant him surcease from the mind-numbing weariness that assailed him now.
Eat of the Lotus by the brooksides sparingly, unless thou wouldst have surcease of memory, which is to become a child of Daphne.
But when as daies faire shinie-beame, yclowdedWith fearefull shadowes of deformed night,Warn'd man and beast in quiet rest be shrowded,Bold Radigund with sound of trumpe on hight,Causd all her people to surcease from fight,And gathering them vnto her citties gate,Made them all enter in before her sight,And all the wounded, and the weake in state,To be conuayed in, ere she would once retrate.
Crystal pulsed in her blood and bones, denying her rest in sleep, surcease by day, no matter how she tried to tire her body.
It brought surcease from the background noise of all those lesser psyches that had mumbled and squealed and droned and piped their thin discordancies even when they were not actually reaching out in childish insolence or daring a frontal attack against her very ramparts.
Three Oaths's stomach screamed for surcease but he ate his piece anyway, hoping that the fragrant oolong tea would calm him.
Beheim, overborne by a weariness less physical than spiritual, shared their longing for surcease.
At first the advancing black mass, now gray from dilution with polar air, brought surcease from the blistering sun in a cloudless sky.
He heard the siren call and part of him responded, edging closer and closer to a surcease for which he surely longed.
Yes, Joan de Tany was good to look upon, and Norman of Torn carried a wounded heart in his breast that longed for surcease from its sufferings -- for a healing balm upon its hurts and bruises.