The word for today is…
abeyance (noun):
1 : a state of temporary inactivity : suspension —used chiefly in the phrase in abeyance
2 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : Abeyance comes from Old French baer, meaning “to have the mouth wide open,” which was joined with the prefix a- to form abaer, a verb meaning “to open wide,” and, in later Anglo-French usage, “to expect or await.” There followed Anglo-French abeyance, which referred to a state of expectation—specifically, a person’s expectation of inheriting a title or property. The word, in English, was then applied for the expectation to the property itself: a property or title “in abeyance” is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner.
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