Posticipate

Posticipate is an English verb meaning to cause something to occur at a later time; in effect, to postpone or delay. In contemporary usage, the term is rare and often considered archaic or formal. Most speakers would simply say postpone or defer. When it does appear, it is usually in historical, literary, or highly specialized contexts.

Etymology and history: Posticipate derives from Latin elements associated with delaying actions. The word is typically traced to Latin post- meaning after, combined with a verb meaning to take or seize, and reached English through Medieval Latin or Romance language routes. As a result, posticipate has historically carried a sense of delaying an event or action rather than merely shifting its timing.

Usage notes: Because posticipate is uncommon, it can sound incongruous in everyday speech. It may appear in dictionaries as a scholarly or obsolete form, or in discussions about word origins. In most modern texts, postponing a meeting, an decision, or an obligation remains the standard expression. Posticipate is sometimes encountered in legal or formal writing to evoke a more precise or traditional register.

See also: postpone, defer, delay, postponer (rare); Latin-derived terms such as posticipāre (the root form in scholarly discussions). For related concepts, consider words describing timing adjustments, such as reschedule or adjourn.