Added 9 October 2026
demur
/dɪˈmɜː/ verb
Latin root: dēmorāre Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about demur at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be reluctant; to balk, to take exception.
I demur to that statement.
-
Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be reluctant; to balk, to take exception.
I demur to that statement.
- To submit a demurrer (“motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”).
noun
Origin
From Middle English demuren (“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”), from Anglo-Norman demorer and Old French demorer, demourer (“to remain, stay”) (modern French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin dēmorāre, from Latin dēmorārī, the present active infinitive of Latin dēmoror (“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + moror (“to delay, detain; to hinder, impede; to linger, loiter”) (from mora (“a delay; hindrance, obstacle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking; to remember”), probably referring to a time for thinking) + -or (variant of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)