laches

A legal doctrine that bars a claimant from receiving relief where the claimant’s delay in pursuing the claim has operated to the prejudice of the opposing party.

A genus of spiders: same as Lachesis, a name preoccupied in herpetology.

Negligence; remissness; inexcusable delay; neglect to do a thing at the proper time.

In law, remissness in asserting or enforcing a right, or neglect prejudicing some right of the person chargeable with it.

Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; especially, a delay in asserting a claim, sufficient to cause a person to lose the right to adjuducation of the claim by a court.

Legal doctrine that a person who waits too long to bring a claim alleging a wrong shall not be permitted to seek an equitable remedy because the delay prejudiced the moving party. Sleeping on one’s rights.