Adjournmentwhether

Adjournmentwhether is not a recognized term in established legal or parliamentary dictionaries. It appears to be a neologism formed by combining “adjournment” with “whether,” used informally to describe the point at which a deliberative body decides whether to adjourn the meeting. Because it is not an accepted term, its precise definition can vary among users.

Conceptually, adjournment or adjournmentwhether would relate to the decision-making process surrounding suspending a meeting. In typical practice, a meeting is adjourned by a motion to adjourn, which is decided by a vote according to the body’s rules. The hypothetical “whether” aspect would refer to the considerations that determine if adjournment is appropriate, such as the remaining business, the time available, the presence of a quorum, or the need to reconvene to complete matters.

In formal procedures, established terms like “motion to adjourn,” “recess,” or “lay on the table” govern how and when a meeting ends or pauses. These motions follow specific rules about timing, debate, and voting. The nonstandard concept of adjournmentwhether is typically unnecessary in formal contexts and can cause ambiguity; when precision is required, it is better to use conventional terminology to describe whether to adjourn, postpone, or continue business.

See also: Adjournment, Motion to adjourn, Parliamentary procedure, Robert’s Rules of Order.