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laches

American  
[lach-iz] / ˈlætʃ ɪz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

  1. failure to do something at the proper time, especially such delay as will bar a party from bringing a legal proceeding.

laches British  
/ ˈlætʃɪz /

noun

  1. law negligence or unreasonable delay in pursuing a legal remedy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of laches

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English lachesse, from Anglo-French, variant of Middle French laschesse, derivative of Old French lasche “slack” (from Germanic ); -ice

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.