Defn: A partial evacuation. Mayne.
ABEYANCE
A*bey"ance, n. Etym: [OF. abeance expectation, longing; a (L. ad) +
baer, beer, to gape, to look with open mouth, to expect, F. bayer,
LL. badare to gape.]
1. (Law)
Defn: Expectancy; condition of being undetermined.
Note: When there is no person in existence in whom an inheritance (or a dignity) can vest, it is said to be in abeyance, that is, in expectation; the law considering it as always potentially existing, and ready to vest whenever a proper owner appears. Blackstone.
2. Suspension; temporary suppression. Keeping the sympathies of love and admiration in a dormant state, or state of abeyance. De Quincey.
ABEYANCY
A*bey"an*cy, n.
Defn: Abeyance. [R.] Hawthorne.
ABEYANT
A*bey"ant, a.
Defn: Being in a state of abeyance.