Definify.com

Definition 2025

猶予う

猶予う

Japanese

Kanji in this term
猶 予
Grade: S Grade: 3

Verb

猶予う ‎(intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana いざよう, romaji izayou, historical hiragana いざよふ)

  1. To pause, to hesitate.
Conjugation
See also

Etymology 2

Derived from the noun たゆた ‎(tayuta, “undecidedness, unsettledness”) + auxiliary verb ふ ‎(fu, “indicating repetition or ongoing state, spelled and pronounced as う, u in modern Japanese”).

The kanji are examples of ateji.

Verb

猶予う ‎(intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana たゆたう, romaji tayutau, historical hiragana たゆたふ)

  1. To bob, to move about uncertainly as a floating item moves about on the surface of water or some other liquid.
  2. To be undecided or uncertain.
  3. To pause or hesitate due to indecision; to dally, to dawdle.
Usage notes

This reading is more commonly spelled 揺蕩う.

Conjugation
Synonyms

Etymology

Read as いさよう (isayou) in the Nara Period, alternating with いざよう (izayou) in the Heian Period, and settling on いざよう (izayou) thereafter.

Derived as a compound from いさ ‎(isa, “interjection of hesitation or introduction; compare to English so, which may be used as a hesitation word or to introduce a new topic”) + suffix element よふ.

The origin of the latter portion remains unclear. May be よ ‎(yo, “particle indicating origin or means”) + ふ ‎(fu, “auxiliary verb indicating repetition or ongoing state, spelled and pronounced as う, u in modern Japanese”). Alternately, may be 酔う ‎(you, “to be intoxicated or unsteady; formerly spelled よふ, yofu in hiragana”).

The kanji are examples of ateji.

Similar Results