laten

The heavy traffic will laten our arrival at the party.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cause to be late or delayed: "laten" means to make something happen at a later time than intended or expected.
   • To become late: It can also refer to the process of becoming delayed or slower.

Usage Examples

• Transitive use (to cause delay):

  • The storm latened the arrival of the flight. (The storm caused the flight to be delayed.)
  • His constant hesitation latened the project's completion. (His indecisiveness made the project finish later than planned.)

• Intransitive use (to become late):

  • As the afternoon wore on, the shadows latened. (The shadows became longer and later in the day.)
  • The meeting latened due to unforeseen circumstances. (The meeting started or ended later than scheduled.)

Advanced Usage

• "to laten one's pace": to slow down one's speed.

  • The runner latened her pace to conserve energy for the final sprint. (She slowed down deliberately.)

• "to laten in response": to delay answering or reacting.

  • He latened his response to the urgent email, causing frustration. (He postponed replying.)

Variants and Related Words

• Late (adj/adv): occurring after the expected time.

  • She arrived late to the party. (She came after the party had started.)

• Lateness (n): the quality of being late.

  • His lateness was unacceptable. (The fact that he was late was not allowed.)

• Delay (n/v): a period of time when something is later than planned.

  • There was a delay in the train schedule. (The train came later than planned.)

Synonyms

• Delay: to make something happen later.
• Postpone: to arrange for something to happen at a later time.
• Slow: to reduce speed or progress.
• Tarry: to delay or linger (older or literary usage).

Phrasal Verbs

• Laten up: (rare) to become slower or later.

  • The work latened up as the deadline approached. (The work slowed down or became delayed.)

• Laten out: (rare) to extend or prolong a delay.

  • They latened out the negotiations to gain more time. (They deliberately extended the discussions.)

Related Idioms

• Better late than never: used to say that it is better to do something late than not at all (related to the concept of lateness).

  • He finally apologized; better late than never. (Even though the apology was late, it was still worthwhile.)

• Late in the day: happening at a later stage than expected or desirable.

  • It was late in the day to change the plan, but we did it anyway. (The change came at a very late point.)