abey·ance /ə-'bā-əns/ n [Middle French abeance expectation (of a title or claimant), from abaer to expect, from a -, prefix stressing result + baer to gape, aim at]
1: a lapse in the succession of property during which there is no person in whom title to the property is vested
— usu. used with in
the estate was in abeyance
2: temporary inactivity or suppression: cessation or suspension for a period of time
— usu. used with in or into
to hold the entry of summary judgment in abeyance — J. H. Friedenthal et al.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.