De‐lay″, v. t. [imp. & p. p.Delayed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.Delaying.] [OF. deleer, delaier, fr. the noun délai, or directly fr. L. dilatare to enlarge, dilate, in LL., to put off. See Delay, n., and cf. Delate, 1st Defer, Dilate.] 1. To put off; to defer; to procrastinate; to prolong the time of or before.
My lord delayeth his coming. Matt. xxiv. 48.
2. To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time; to retard the motion, or time of arrival, of; as, the mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
Thyrsis! whose artful strains have oft delayed
The huddling brook to hear his madrigal. Milton.
3. To allay; to temper.
The watery showers delay the raging wind. Surrey.