The word **延误** is a compound formed by combining two distinct characters, each contributing to its overall meaning: **延** (yán), which means "to prolong," "to extend," or "to delay," and **误** (wù), which means "to miss," "an error," or "a mistake." Together, they create a verb-noun concept where the action of *延* (delaying/prolonging) is intrinsically linked to the negative outcome of *误* (a missed timing or fault). Thus, 延误 specifically denotes a *faulty or undesirable delay*, implying a holdup that causes a schedule to be missed or a plan to go awry, commonly used in contexts like flights, trains, or projects.