Definition of "moratorium"

moratorium

/ˌmɒ.ɹəˈtɔː.ɹɪəm/

noun
plural moratoriums or moratoria
1. (law) An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
2. A suspension of an ongoing activity.
  Quotations
  It so happened that at that time the moratorium on the death penalty caused by the Supreme Court decision in the Furman case was still in effect.
  1990, Gerhard Falk, Murder, an Analysis of its Forms, Conditions, and Causes, McFarland
  If such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, governments should step in and institute a moratorium.
  2023 March 22, “Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter”, in Future of Life Institute‎