Etymograph

English

delay

Delay comes from Middle English delaien, from Anglo-Norman delaier (Old French deslaier), from des- + laier ‘to leave’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400laier1‘to leave’
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400delaier1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500delaien1
  4. Englishearliest quotation a. 1547delay1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English delay
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey: “The watery showers delay the raging wind.”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400laierWiktionary, English delay‘to leave’
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400delaierWiktionary, English delay
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500delaienWiktionary, English delay
  4. Englishearliest quotation a. 1547delayWiktionary, English delay. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey: “The watery showers delay the raging wind.”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with delay, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Anglo-Norman delaier

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Today it means

noun A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “delay”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French laier / delay