Prorogue

Pro-rogue′

,

Verb.

T.

[

imp. & p. p.

Prorogued

;

p. pr. & vb. n.

Proroguing

.]

[F.

proroger

, L.

prorogare

,

prorogatum

;

pro

forward +

rogare

to ask, to ask one for his opinion or vote, or about a law. See

Rogation

.]

1.

To protract; to prolong; to extend.

[Obs.]

He

prorogued

his government.

Dryden.

2.

To defer; to delay; to postpone;

as, to

prorogue

death; to

prorogue

a marriage.

Shak.

3.

To end the session of a parliament by an order of the sovereign, thus deferring its business.

Parliament was

prorogued

to [meet at] Westminster.

Bp. Hall.

The Parliament was again

prorogued

to a distant day.

Macaulay.

Syn. – To adjourn; postpone; defer. See

Adjourn

.

Prorogue

PROROGUE

,

Verb.

T.

prorog. [L. prorogo; pro and rogo. The latter word signifies to ask, or to propose; but the primary sense is to reach, to stretch forward; and this is its import in the derivative prorogo.]

1.

To protract; to prolong.

He prorogued his government.

2.

To defer; to delay; as, to prorogue death.

[In the foregoing senses, the word is now rarely used.]

3.

To continue the parliament from one session to another. Parliament is prorogued by the king's authority, either by the lord chancellor in his majesty's presence, or by commission, or by proclamation.

prorogue

English

Verb

prorogue ‎(third-person singular simple present prorogues, present participle proroguing, simple past and past participle prorogued)

(obsolete) To prolong or extend. [15th-18th c.]
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.2.6.iv:
  Mirth […] prorogues life, whets the wit, makes the body young, lively, and fit for any manner of employment.
(transitive, now rare) To defer. [from 15th c.]
(transitive) To suspend (a parliamentary session) or to discontinue the meetings of (an assembly, parliament etc.) without formally ending the session. [from 15th c.]
- 1932, Maurice Baring, chapter 20, in Friday's Business:
  The King settled to prorogue Parliament until the Christmas holidays, and to do nothing else for the present.