adjourn

[uh-jurn] /əˈdʒɜrn/
verb (used with object)
1.
to suspend the meeting of (a club, legislature, committee, etc.) to a future time, another place, or indefinitely:
to adjourn the court.
2.
to defer or postpone to a later time:
They adjourned the meeting until the following Monday.
3.
to defer or postpone (a matter) to a future meeting of the same body.
4.
to defer or postpone (a matter) to some future time, either specified or not specified.
verb (used without object)
5.
to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings.
6.
to go to another place:
to adjourn to the parlor.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English ajo(u)rnen < Middle French ajo(u)rner, equivalent to a- ad- + jorn- < Latin diurnus daily; see journal, journey
Related forms
preadjourn, verb
readjourn, verb
unadjourned, adjective
Can be confused
adjoin, adjourn.
Examples from the web for adjourn
  • At noon, the meetings will adjourn for an invitational luncheon honoring a special guest.
  • Congress is scheduled to adjourn on Friday but may run a few days late.
  • That would force the Senate to adjourn, and the filibuster would have succeeded for another day.
  • Dozens walked off the floor at one point, forcing the House to adjourn for the night.
  • Boys, we'll adjourn now and meet tomorrow at the same time.
  • After closing arguments, the subcommittee will adjourn to weigh whether the charges have been substantiated.
  • Parliament is expected to adjourn for the week or deal only with nonpartisan matters.
  • After the meal we adjourned to the living room.
  • The bill was adopted during a flurry of activity as lawmakers rushed to adjourn for the year.
  • Lawmakers, especially in the House, are also eager to adjourn and return home for the autumn campaign season.
British Dictionary definitions for adjourn

adjourn

/əˈdʒɜːn/
verb
1.
(intransitive) (of a court, etc) to close at the end of a session
2.
to postpone or be postponed, esp temporarily or to another place
3.
(transitive) to put off (a problem, discussion, etc) for later consideration; defer
4.
(intransitive) (informal)
  1. to move elsewhere: let's adjourn to the kitchen
  2. to stop work
Derived Forms
adjournment, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old French ajourner to defer to an arranged day, from a- to + jour day, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin diurnus daily, from diēs day
Word Origin and History for adjourn
v.

early 14c., ajournen, "assign a day" (for convening or reconvening), from Old French ajourner (12c.) "meet" (at an appointed time), from the phrase à jorn "to a stated day" (à "to" + journ "day," from Latin diurnus "daily;" see diurnal).

The sense is to set a date for a re-meeting. Meaning "to close a meeting" (with or without intention to reconvene) is from early 15c. Meaning "to go in a body to another place" (1640s) is colloquial. The unhistorical -d- was added 16c. Related: Adjourned; adjourning.