All 3 Uses of
cease
in
Cyrano de Bergerac
- RAGUENEAU (ceasing to write, and raising his head): Aurora's silver rays begin to glint e'en now on the copper pans, and thou, O Ragueneau!†
Act 2 *ceasing = stopping or discontinuing
- Say ceaselessly, 'Oh, had I but the chance Of a fair notice in the "Mercury"!'†
Act 2ceaselessly = in a manner that does not stopstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in ceaselessly means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.
- ROXANE (surprised at his voice ceasing, turns round, looks at him, and rising, terrified): He swoons!†
Act 5ceasing = stopping or discontinuing
Definitions:
-
(1)
(cease) to stop or discontinue
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Note that the expression, cease fire means to stop doing battle such as firing funs at each other. Similarly, the noun, cease-fire, is a state of having stopped doing battle.