ceased

verb (used without object), ceased, ceas·ing.

1. to stop; discontinue: Not all medieval beliefs have ceased to exist.
2. to come to an end: At last the war has ceased.
3. Obsolete. to pass away; die out.

verb (used with object), ceased, ceas·ing.

4. to put a stop or end to; discontinue: He begged them to cease their quarreling.

noun

5. cessation: The noise of the drilling went on for hours without cease.

verb

1. (when tr, may take a gerund or an infinitive as object) to bring or come to an end; desist from; stop

noun

2. without cease without stopping; incessantly

n.

“cessation, stopping,” c.1300, from cease (n.) or else from Old French cesse “cease, cessation,” from cesser.

v.

c.1300, cesen, from Old French cesser “to come to an end, stop, cease; give up, desist,” from Latin cessare “to cease, go slow, give over, leave off, be idle,” frequentative of cedere (past participle cessus) “go away, withdraw, yield” (see cede). Related: Ceased; ceasing. Old English in this sense had geswican, blinnan.

In addition to the idiom beginning with cease

• cease and desist

also see:

• wonders will never cease