# cease

Pronunciation: say "SEES" /siːs/

## Verb

1. To come to an end; to stop happening or continuing.
   - Simple: To stop happening or come to an end.
   - _Hostilities did not cease until the treaty was signed._
   - _The factory's operations ceased abruptly last winter._
2. To stop performing or engaging in a particular activity.
   - Simple: To stop doing an action or activity.
   - _The board voted to cease operations at the aging plant._
   - _Doctors advised her to cease taking the medication._

## Verb

3. To fail or be lacking; to die or perish. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To die, or to run out and no longer exist.

## Noun

4. A stopping or ending; cessation. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A stop or an end to something.
   - _The pilgrims marched without cease toward the holy city._
   - _Her devotion to the work continued without cease for many years._

## Origin

This word came through Middle English cesen from Middle French cesser ('to cease'), which came from Latin cessō ('leave off'), a frequentative of cēdō ('to leave off, go away').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cease (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).