STAY

a halt in a judicial proceeding where, by its order, the court will not take further action until the occurrence of some event. STAY OF EXECUTIION: process whereby a judgment is precluded from being executed for a specific period.
EXAMPLE: An apartment dweller is found in default under his lease. He seeks a stay of execution of the eviction order until he can make new living arrangments. A stay may be granted, but not for an excessively long time. Source: Barron's Dictionary of Legal Terms, Steven H. Gifis, 5th Edition; © 2016