cancellation; abandonment; being dropped
Refers to a plan, project, or matter being shelved or abandoned without a formal decision, often after discussion fades. Frequently used in the patterns 沙汰止みとなる or 沙汰止みになる.
That plan ended up being shelved.
Discussions stalled, and the proposal was dropped.
Standard kanji spelling.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but seen.
Compound of 沙汰 (matter, affair, discussion) and 止み (stopping, from 止む). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word literally suggests a matter coming to a halt.