term:

Stay

stay vt

stayed
stay·ing
: to temporarily suspend or prevent by judicial or executive order [may not grant an injunction to proceedings in a state court "U.S. Code"]
n : a temporary suspension or injunction of an action or process by a usually discretionary judicial or executive order [a of execution of the judgment] [ of a lower court's judgment pending certiorari "W. J. Brennan, Jr."] see also automatic stay compare cease-and-desist order at order, mandamus, supersedeas

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.