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tem·po·rize

(tĕmpə-rīz′)

v. tem·po·rized, tem·po·riz·ing, tem·po·riz·es

v.intr.

1. To act or speak in order to gain time, avoid an argument, or postpone a decision: "Colonial officials ... ordered to enforce unpopular enactments, tended to temporize, to find excuses for evasion" (J.H. Parry).

2. To act to suit current circumstances or necessities: "When an evil has sprung up within a state, the more certain remedy by far is to temporize with it" (Brian Moore).

v.tr.

To say or utter in temporizing.

[French temporiser, from Old French, from Medieval Latin temporizāre, to pass one's time, from Latin tempus, tempor-, time.]

tem′po·ri·zation (-pər-ĭ-zāshən) n.

tempo·riz′er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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