to delay: to let time pass before something is done or arrives, whether by putting it off, being overdue, or lingering
At its core this verb means to be behind in time. It grows out of the ordinary idea of "behind" or "after" and applies it to the clock: to fall behind, to be late, to drag one's feet. A person delays by putting off what they owe, an awaited thing delays by failing to show up on time, and someone lingers by staying long when they should move on. All of these are the same picture from different angles.
The word swings between two directions without changing its meaning. Usually the subject is simply slow or late (a chariot that tarries, a payment that is deferred, a promise that seems overdue). But it can also take an object and mean holding someone else back, as when Abraham's servant begs, "do not detain me." A near-synonym, מָהַהּ, leans more toward hesitating out of indecision, while this verb is plainer: time is passing and the thing is not happening.
One of its most quoted uses is a reassurance. When Habakkuk is told the vision "will not delay," and when the prophets and psalmists plead with God, "do not delay," the word carries the tension of waiting for help that feels overdue. The New Testament picks this up directly: Hebrews quotes Habakkuk with the Greek verb χρονίζω, promising that the coming one will not be late.