vacantadj.n.

Brit.

/ˈveɪk(ə)nt/, U.S.

/ˈveɪkənt/

Forms: Middle English–1500s vacaunt (Middle English vacavnt), Middle English– vacant, Middle English–1600s vacante.

Etymology: < Old French (also modern French) vacant (= Italian vacante , Spanish vacante , Portuguese vacante ), or < Latin vacant- , vacans , present participle of vacāre to be empty, etc.: compare vacand adj. In early senses the evidence is scanty until the latter part of the 16th century or later.

A. adj.

a. Of a benefice, office, position, etc.: Not filled, held, or occupied; in respect of which a successor to the previous incumbent or holder has not been appointed.Frequently of ecclesiastical benefices (see first group of quots.).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > office > [adjective] > vacant (of an office)

vacantc1290

voida1387

vacand1405

avoid1488

vaking1572

society > occupation and work > working > labour supply > [adjective] > of a position: vacant

vacantc1290

vacand1405

(a)

c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 72/51 Þe bischopriche of wiricestre vacaunt was and lere.

1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 110 Þer Steuen..suore, Þat if a bisshopriche vacant wer þe se, Þe kyng, no non of his, suld chalange þat of fe.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccxxxvij^v Many churches lye Uacant.

1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 223/1 in Chron. I The Pope had accursed the english people, bicause they suffred the Bishops seas to be vacant so long a time.

1611 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. i. 546 There hath fallen vacant a benefice annexed to y^e vicariat.

1671 J. Davies (title) The Ceremonies of the Vacant See: or a True Relation of what passes at Rome upon the Pope's Death.

1803 Ld. Nelson Let. to R. Suckling 23 Mar. Mr. Horace Suckling..is very anxious that you should present him to the vacant living.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vi. 95 The archbishopric of York was vacant.

1887 New York Independent 8 Sept. 16 One sixth of its churches are ‘vacant’, meaning of course, without pastors.

(b)c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 507/2 Vacavnt, not occupyyd, vacans.?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1872) IV. 381 That he myȝhte haue reioycede an oþer tetrarchye, beenge vacante þat tyme.1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccciij^v Yet hath no man hetherto desyred the same places..as common and vacant to be geuen them.a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) v. ii. 27 Speciall Dignities, which vacant lye For thy best vse and wearing. 1681 H. Prideaux Lett. (1875) 87 You may be assured y^t as soon as this or any other place is vacant you shall be put in into it.1805 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 14 192 Dr. Arneman..has undertaken to superintend the foreign department of the Medical and Physical Journal, vacant by the decease of the late Dr. Noehden.1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. x. 634 If the throne was vacant the Estates of the Realm might place William in it.1907 F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (ed. 2 reissued) I. 115 Three places had fallen vacant.

†b. Const. of (an incumbent or holder). rare.

ΚΠ

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 9697 Þe vifte was þat bissopriches & abbeies al so Þat vacauns were of prelas in þe kinges hond were ido.

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 109 Northumbrelonde was vacante of a kynge viij^the yeres.

†c. Having no owner or possessor. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > non-possession > fact of not being possessed or owned > [adjective] > having no owner

vacant1560

unpossessed1582

unowned1611

unoweda1616

unmastered1793

ownerless1806

unattached1888

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xvj The goodes of the Empire, whiche shall chaunce to be vacant, he shall geue away to no man.

1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum Vacant Effects (in Law) are such as are abandoned for want of an Heir, after the Death or Flight of their former Owner.

a. Devoid of all material contents or accessories; containing, or occupied by, nothing; unfilled, empty, void.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective] > empty

idlec825

toomOE

lankc1000

emptyOE

leera1250

i-lerc1275

vain1382

void1390

bare1399

vacanta1400

i-voidec1415

hollow1600

vake1600

clear1607

inane1662

blank1748

viduous1855

unchargeda1861

a1400–50 Alexander 4774 For, fra it droȝe to þe derke ay till it dawid eftir, It was bot vacant & voide as vanite it were.

c1450 Godstow Reg. 417 One voide place of ther owne lond.]

c1450 Godstow Reg. 417 The forsaid vacant place of lond.

a1661 W. Brereton Trav. (1844) 15 In the middle a square vacant place, wherein the moulded brick is disposed.

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 89 The Moon, When she deserts the night Hid in her vacant interlunar cave.

1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 141 The billowy plain boils wide; nor can evade..its [sc. the blast's] seizing force; Or whirl'd in air, or into vacant chaff Shook waste.

1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty 8 The vacant space within the shell.

1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty 91 It fills up the vacant angle under the arm.

1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. xxiii. 472 Instant to his aid The Goddess hasted, to his vacant hand His whip restored.

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. ix. 714 From that very moment, complaint was extinguished; and the voice of praise..occupied the vacant air.

1858 G. Glenny Gardener's Every-day Bk. (new ed.) 76/2 All the plants that are strong enough..may be planted in vacant places.

in extended use.a1822 P. B. Shelley Death i. 6 All dead! those vacant names alone..remain.1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 233 Philosophy was becoming more and more vacant and abstract.

b. Devoid of an occupant; not taken up by any one. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective]

voida1350

unoccupied1560

absent1587

devoid1590

vacant1600

naked1643

vacated1791

untrenched1887

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 285 But now..that warre-thoughts, Haue left their places vacant: in their roomes, Come [etc.] .

1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida ii. sig. D2 There's not a vacant corner of my heart, But all is fild with deade Antonios losse.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 190 In stead Of Spirits maligne a better Race to bring Into thir vacant room.

1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day iii. 67 Satan's accurst Desertion to supply, And fill the vacant Stations of the Sky.

1780 E. Burke Speech Oeconomical Reformation 38 The bleak winds..howling through the vacant lobbies, and clattering the doors of deserted guard-rooms.

1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xx. 34 To see the vacant chair, and think, ‘How good! how kind! and he is gone.’

1886 J. Ruskin Præterita II. vii. 247 There was a spacious half of seat vacant in my little hooded carriage.

c. Of land, houses, etc.: Uninhabited, unoccupied, untenanted. Also, of a room: Not in use, disengaged.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > non-possession > fact of not being possessed or owned > [adjective] > unoccupied

unoccupied1425

void1479

vacant1518

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > [adjective] > not > empty or unoccupied

emptyOE

unoccupied1425

void1479

vacant1518

waste1574

distenanted1594

tenantlessa1616

empse1642

untenanted1677

dead1879

1518 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 146 About viij c howseholdes in the same Towne desolate, vacante, and decayed.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. iii Let the old souldiers..enter upon the vacant lands.

1785 W. Paley Moral & Polit. Philos. (1818) II. 383 The new settlers will naturally convert their labour to the cultivation of the vacant soil.

1847 A. Helps Friends in Council I. i. 2 A house which had long been vacant in our neighbourhood.

1891 ‘S. C. Scrivener’ Our Fields & Cities 140 There are at least a million and a-half acres likely to be vacant every autumn.

d. Marked or characterized by the absence of life, activity, or sound.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective] > deserted

manlessOE

willc1330

void1338

desolatec1374

destitute1382

blouta1522

destituted1550

unmanned1609

lifeless1615

deserted1629

vaked1638

vacant1791

1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. ii. 68 Amid the stillness of the vacant night.

1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xxxiv. 53 To drop head-foremost in the jaws Of vacant darkness and to cease.

1894 H. Caine Manxman iii. iv. 136 Somewhere in the dead and vacant dawn Philip went to bed.

e. Of water: Free from ice; open.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > water > ice > [adjective] > free from ice > specifically of water

vacant1853

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. x. 71 On the morning of the 7th, a large vacant sheet of water showed itself to the westward.

a. With of. Devoid or destitute of, entirely lacking or free from, something.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > non-possession > [adjective] > devoid of something

nakedeOE

toomOE

windia1225

skerec1250

freea1325

expertc1374

unbeseen1390

vacanta1400

devoidc1400

indigent1490

waste1513

clear1569

divesta1679

viduate1692

innocent1706

divested1742

sincerea1754

virgin1889

a1400–50 Alexander 5116 We at ere voide ay of vice & vacant of syn.

a1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. xxxii. 101 If þe state of þe herte be vacant of a riȝt fundement.

1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. i. 126 My person, which I waigh not, Being of those Vertues [truth and honesty] vacant .

1637 J. Milton Comus 25 That no corner might Be vacant of her [sc. Nature's] plentie.

1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim (1687) xxxii. 391 A company of select friends, vacant of business, and full of chearfulness, met together at one table.

1755 B. Franklin Observ. conc. Increase Mankind 12 in W. Clarke Observ. Late & Present Conduct French Was the Face of the Earth vacant of other Plants, it might be..sowed and overspread with one Kind only.

1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 7 The hour being vacant of business, he got upon his legs.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 109 I, to herd with narrow foreheads, vacant of our glorious gains!

1910 A. M. Fairbairn Stud. Relig. & Theol. ii. ii. ii. 292 How could men vacant of good have affinities with Him [etc.]?

elliptical.1582 Bible (Rheims) 2 Pet. i. 8 They shal make you not vacant [L. vacuos], nor without fruite.

†b. Empty-handed; destitute. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > poverty > [adjective] > poor > very poor or destitute

(as) poor as JobOE

nakedOE

voidc1374

naisa1400

vacant1430

(as) drunk, (also mad, poor, rank, weak, etc.) as a rat?1548

Hungarian1608

pauper1690

destitute1735

farthingless1834

pebble-beached1890

piss-poor1945

1430–40 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes iv. vi. (Bodl. 263) They banished hym neuer to come agayne: And so this tiraunt, vacant, wente in veyn Aboute the world as a fals Fugityff.

1576 G. Wapull Tyde taryeth no Man sig. D.iiij So that none of vs went vacant away, But of one of the parties, had honestly our pay.

a. Of time: Free from, unoccupied with, affairs, business, or customary work; leisure. Also const. from (an action or occupation).Frequently from c1550 to c1750; now Obsolete or rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [adjective] > free (of time)

unoccupied?a1439

avoid1488

void1530

vacant1531

remiss1566

spared1580

nugifrivolous1589

sparea1610

leisure1669

society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure

freeOE

restingOE

at leisurea1529

vacant1531

otious1614

unbended1693

unbending1701

picktootha1726

disengaged1836

otiant1845

otiose1850

eased1851

vacationing1926

(a)

1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. viii. sig. Cviii^v Puttyng one to hym..in vacant tymes from other more serious lernynge.

1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xviii. sig. Jvi^v Alexander, in tymes vacaunt from bataile, delyted in that maner huntinge.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Richard III f. lviij Suche yuell persones as wil not lyue one houre vacant from doyng and exercisyng crueltie.

1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 80 Feriarum, that is, dayes vacant from pleading and labour.

(b)1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke xiv He wil with good laisure at a vacaunt time sitte down [etc.].1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation Aunsw. Lett. sig. **4 Such scriblings are hardly worth the vacantest howers.1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. C3^v The most actiue or busie man that hath been or can bee, hath..many vacant times of leasure. 1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes v. §9. 419 Vacant houres cannot better be spent then in the Artillery Garden.1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 471. ¶3 The Memory relieves the Mind in her vacant Moments.1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1787) II. xviii. 104 Chosroes..consumed his vacant hours in the rural sports of hunting and hawking.1805 T. Lindley Voy. Brasil (1808) 34 The females, who fill up their vacant hours with this elegant amusement.1816 J. Austen Emma I. iii. 35 Any vacant evening of his own blank solitude.

†b. Of persons: Not engaged or employed in (one's usual or regular) occupation or work; disengaged or free from labour or toil; at leisure; also, having nothing or little to do. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

(a)

1564 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Moral Philos. (new ed.) f. 70 When he was vacant from his labour, he woulde write most eloquent..Comedies.

a1628 J. Preston New Covenant (1634) 152 Those that are vacant from such things are at rest.

(b)1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 154 They may be vacant as Christians.1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 116 For Satan with slye preface to return Had left him vacant . 1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. i. xxvi. 148 If he can produce any vacant person richer than himself.a1763 W. Shenstone Wks. Verse & Prose (1764) I. 4 Another spring renews the soldier's toil, And finds me vacant in the rural cave.1782 Encycl. Brit. IX. 6933/2 In such excursions those vacant people [Laplanders] find a luxurious and ready repast in these fish.absolute.1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom I. Ded. p. vii To instruct the ignorant, and entertain the vacant.

c. Characterized by, arising or proceeding from, absence of occupation, leisure, or idleness; undisturbed by business or work.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [adjective]

easyc1385

leisurable1607

vacant1615

leisured1631

leisure1669

sauntry1732

Sundayish1797

sauntering1818

toilless1848

off-duty1851

Sundayfied1899

non-work1922

spare-time1931

non-job1932

the world > action or operation > inaction > idleness, lack of occupation or activity > [adjective] > characterized by lack of occupation

idle1297

vacant1615

vacuous1872

1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 256 Here vacant Life, here Peace her empire keepes.

1630 H. Wotton in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) II. 332 A great natural principle, that the vacantest thoughts are everywhere the worst.

1662 P. Gunning Paschal or Lent-Fast 202 A season of vacant attendance on fasting and prayer.

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. v. 42 Every morning waked us to a repetition of toil; but the evening repaid it with vacant hilarity.

1776 E. Cameron Fingal of Ossian 10 That poetical Enthusiasm, which is better suited to a vacant and indolent state.

1866 R. Chambers Ess. 2nd Ser. 89 An idle and vacant life..is not calculated to be a happy one.

d. At leisure to devote oneself to some object. Also of things, open or accessible to some influence, etc. Now rare or Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure > having leisure for or to do something

vacant1631

vacant1703

the world > action or operation > operation upon something > [adjective] > involving subjection to action or influence > able or liable to be affected

subjectablea1382

subject1549

occurrent1566

obnoxious1572

prostitute1591

liable1593

incident1603

patible1603

susceptible1605

obvious1609

recipient1610

affectable1611

susceptive1637

receptivea1676

ticklish1681

subjectiblea1732

vacant1751

timid1764

susceptible1883

impressionable1889

1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 151 How much more ought Christians to bee vacant to God alone on the Lords day?

1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness v. xiv. 172 Grotius,..who by reason of his Political emploiments could not be so entirely vacant to the searching into so abstruse a Mystery.

1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. 1 Tim. v. 13 Those that are taken up with Family Business of their own are not so vacant and liable to these Crimes.

1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 111. ⁋5 When the heart is vacant to every fresh form of delight.

1763 S. Johnson Let. 8 Dec. (1992) I. 239 Vacant to every object and sensible of every impulse.

1838 J. Stephen Ess. Eccl. Biogr. II. 184 So long as they shall be vacant to record..contrite reminiscences of a desire for roasted goose.

†e. At leisure for something. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure > having leisure for or to do something

vacant1631

vacant1703

1703 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion II. viii. 417 S^r John Berkley,..who was the more vacant for that Service by the reduction of Barnstable.

a. Of the mind or brain: Devoid of or unoccupied with thought or reflection. Chiefly poetic.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > thought > absence of thought > [adjective]

unfurnished1549

vacant1579

thoughtless1594

thoughtfree1652

unthinking1688

incogitative1690

incogitant1702

fanciless1753

vacuous1854

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Oct. 100 The vaunted verse a vacant head demaundes, Ne wont with crabbed care the Muses dwell.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. i. 266 The wretched Slaue: Who with a body fill'd, and vacant mind, Gets him to rest.

1770 O. Goldsmith Deserted Village 122 The loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.

1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 624 Absence of occupation is not rest, A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd.

1818 S. E. Ferrier Marriage I. xiv. 198 The demon of ennui again took possession of her vacant mind.

1855 Ld. Tennyson Daisy in Maud & Other Poems 144 Perchance, to lull the throbs of pain, Perchance, to charm a vacant brain.

†b. Abstracted or disengaged from (the body, etc.) in contemplation or reverie. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > inattention > mental wandering > abstraction, absent-mindedness > [adjective]

in one's musesa1500

abstract1509

abstracteda1586

absent1631

thoughtful1656

vacant1680

lost in thought1681

withdrawn1713

dreamy1794

dun1797

preoccupied1801

absent-minded1824

pebble-beached1890

1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 5 I was in the spirit on the Lord's day,..my mind being vacant from this earthly body, and external senses.

†c. Free from care or anxiety. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > indifference > [adjective]

carelessOE

negligentc1390

recklessc1425

neutral1494

indifferent?1520

undifferentc1540

uncareful1560

unmindful1560

unaddicted1583

unmindful1585

perfunctory1602

disinteressed1603

come day, go day (God send Sunday)1616

disinteresteda1631

Laodicean1633

vacanta1639

unconcerned1645

easy1649

mawkish1679

indifferinga1694

concernless1706

unminding1714

nonchalanta1734

coolrife1768

uninterested1772

uncaring1786

tooth-picking1814

pococurante1815

pococurantish1821

insouciant1829

non-committal1829

don't-care1830

promiscuous1837

don't-carish1838

unpartial1840

noncurantist1882

noncuranta1913

casual1916

Gallionic1920

disengaged1958

a1639 H. Wotton Earl of Essex & Duke of Buckingham: Parallel in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1685) 171 The Duke..even in the midst of so many diversions, had continually a very pleasant and vacant face (as I may well call it) proceeding no doubt from a singular assurance in his temper.

1723 R. Steele Conscious Lovers ii. i Why so much Care in thy Countenance?.. You, who used to be so Gay, so Open, so Vacant!

a. Characterized by, exhibiting, or proceeding from, absence of intelligence or thought; expressionless, meaningless; inane.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > [adjective]

unwittyc1000

heartlessa1382

meana1387

conceitless?c1425

insensuat1508

insensate1528

insensible?1531

miskenning1533

unsensible1560

witless1562

unfraught1587

unconceiving1593

stupid1595

small-knowing1598

surd1601

ununderstanding1611

unapprehensible1613

unperceiving?1623

unapprehensive1624

inapprehending1652

incomprehensive1652

inapprehensive1653

impenetrative1684

blind1692

uncomprehensive1694

unpenetrating1701

unmeaning1704

vacant1712

gilly-gaupus1754

unacute1775

unapprehending1794

unpenetrative1795

unwitted1828

uncomprehending1838

irrecognizant1845

vacuous1848

incomprehending1881

mush-headed1884

wantwit1894

doofus1967

acerebral1968

brain-dead1972

goofus1981

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 515. ⁋4 The vacant look of a fine Lady is not to be preserved, if she admits any thing to take up her Thoughts but her own dear Person.

1780 W. Cowper Progress of Error 205 Yet folly ever has a vacant stare.

1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci iii. i. 46 Let me mask Mine own [looks] in some inane and vacant smile.

1830 J. G. Strutt Sylva Brit. (rev. ed.) 31 The loud laugh of the woodpecker, joyous and vacant.

1841 G. P. R. James Brigand i His eyes gazed upon the scene, but with somewhat of a vacant aspect.

1878 B. Taylor Prince Deukalion ii. i. 56 Vacant are thine eyes, Cold thine insulted brow and mute thy lips.

b. Empty-headed, unthinking. rare.

ΚΠ

1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xii. 163 Metellus was a vacant aristocrat, to be depended on for resisting popular demands, but without insight otherwise.

7. vacant possession, with reference to premises (esp. those offered for sale): available for occupation by the purchaser, not occupied by the vendor or a tenant or tenants.The legal interpretation of the term can be modified in certain circumstances by agreement between the vendor and the purchaser.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > state of being available for occupation

vacant possession1825

1825 H. Roscoe Treat. Law of Actions relating to Real Property I. 546 Ejectment cannot be maintained, as on a vacant possession, where there is any thing left by the tenant on the premises, however trifling.

1883 Wharton's Law-lexicon (ed. 7) 287/1 In case of vacant possession the writ may be served by posting a copy on some conspicuous part of the property.

1927 Daily Tel. 24 May 4/7 Vacant possession at Michaelmas will be given of the Manor Farm, 428 acres, at Oxwick.

1946 Law Rep.: King's Bench Div. 264 A vendor who leaves chattels of his own on property sold by him to an extent depriving the purchaser of the physical enjoyment of part of the property has failed to give vacant possession.

1973 Country Life 15 Mar. 713/1 The average price of vacant-possession farms in England is £273 an acre.

1976 Morecambe Guardian 7 Dec. 28/1 (advt.) Three bedroom semi~detached house with vacant possession.

B. n.

†1. Scottish. A vacant estate. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > land > a landed property or estate > other types of estate

freeholdc1432

vacant1572

perpetuity1607

forestry1751

1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 761 And als the nixt vacant..That hapnis in France, quhair sa euer it fall, Forfaltour or fre waird..I gif the heir heritabilly.

†2. One who has held office but is for the time being unemployed or in retirement. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > one who does not work > [noun]

vacant1602

outler1786

idleman1832

non-producer1840

unworker1843

non-worker1851

non-employed1876

out of work1883

out-of-worker1894

unemployed1900

unwaged1981

UB401983

society > authority > office > withdrawing from or vacating office > [noun] > one who has held office

vacant1602

1602 W. Segar Honor Mil. & Civill iv. xxi. 236 These diuers degrees were in the Emperiall Court called Administrantes, Vacantes, and Honorarii.]

1602 W. Segar Honor Mil. & Civill iv. xxi. 237 Note likewise that the Officers whom we call Vacants are of two sorts.

†3. plural. A vacation. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [noun] > a period of > holidays > formal > legal or university

voiding1468

summer vacation1507

justitium1583

long vacation1631

vacants1647

long1848

1647 T. May Hist. Parl. i. iii. 35 The next Terme, after the ordinary vacants, to be held at the Burgh of Dendie.

†4. poetic. A vacant space; a vacuum. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > [noun] > absolute emptiness of space > an absolutely empty space

vacuum1607

vacant1712

void?1720

1712 R. Blackmore Creation v. 248 Ready by Turns to rise or to descend, Nature against a Vacant to defend.

1712 R. Blackmore Creation vii. 355 Thou in the Vacant didst the Earth suspend.

Compounds

vacant-eyed, vacant-looking, vacant-minded, vacant-seeming adjs.; vacant-heartedness, vacant-mindedness.

ΚΠ

1796 F. Burney Camilla III. vi. v. 219 We all heard he was engaged to your beautiful vacant-looking cousin.

1836 Poe in Southern Lit. Messenger Apr. 339/2 Not a broad, forced, loud vacant-minded joke, but a quiet, pungent, sly, laughter-moving conceit.

1846 C. G. F. Gore Sketches Eng. Char. I. 112 If they have formerly figured as beauties, the fickle voice of fashion now proclaims that they are ‘pretty, certainly, but silly, and vacant-looking’.

1879 W. D. Howells Lady of Aroostook xviii Her frivolity—her not so much vacant-mindedness as vacant-heartedness.

1883 J. Mackenzie Day-dawn in Dark Places 272 I have been saddened by the vacant-minded pupil.

1922 D. H. Lawrence Aaron's Rod (N.Y. ed.) xiii. 186 It was a large, vacant-seeming, Empire sort of drawing-room.

1936 L. H. Myers Strange Glory ii. ix. 150 A boy of about ten.., ill-nourished and vacant-eyed.

1965 J. A. Michener Source (1966) 59 From the shores of Morocco..came frightened, dirty, pathetic Jews, illiterate, often crippled with disease and vacant-eyed.

Derivatives

† ˈvacant v. (a) transitive to render vacant, in various senses; to vacate; (b) intransitive to take a vacation. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > leave unoccupied [verb (transitive)] > make unoccupied

wanec1200

evacuate1607

untenant1640

vacant1649

unstock1655

disnesta1700

to clean out1858

distenant1876

society > leisure > [verb (intransitive)] > keep or take holiday

playa1387

ferie1496

to make holiday1526

vacant1752

pleasure1827

vacate1836

vacation1896

1649 E. Rainbow Serm. Interring C'tess of Suffolk 30 She applyed her self vigorously to the setling of all things, which concerned the secular affairs of her Family, that so she might totally and wholly be vacanted to God.

1674 Catholicon 18 Which Sacredness they know may be presently vacanted by the Prevalency of a greater opposite Power.

1752 Scotland's Glory 57 For getting Yule kept up Our highest courts vacanted.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	vacant
释义	vacantadj.n. Brit. /ˈveɪk(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈveɪkənt/ Forms: Middle English–1500s vacaunt (Middle English vacavnt), Middle English– vacant, Middle English–1600s vacante. Etymology: < Old French (also modern French) vacant (= Italian vacante , Spanish vacante , Portuguese vacante ), or < Latin vacant- , vacans , present participle of vacāre to be empty, etc.: compare vacand adj. In early senses the evidence is scanty until the latter part of the 16th century or later. A. adj. 1. a. Of a benefice, office, position, etc.: Not filled, held, or occupied; in respect of which a successor to the previous incumbent or holder has not been appointed.Frequently of ecclesiastical benefices (see first group of quots.). ΘΚΠ society > authority > office > [adjective] > vacant (of an office) vacantc1290 voida1387 vacand1405 avoid1488 vaking1572 society > occupation and work > working > labour supply > [adjective] > of a position: vacant vacantc1290 vacand1405 (a) c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 72/51 Þe bischopriche of wiricestre vacaunt was and lere. 1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 110 Þer Steuen..suore, Þat if a bisshopriche vacant wer þe se, Þe kyng, no non of his, suld chalange þat of fe. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccxxxvij^v Many churches lye Uacant. 1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 223/1 in Chron. I The Pope had accursed the english people, bicause they suffred the Bishops seas to be vacant so long a time. 1611 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. i. 546 There hath fallen vacant a benefice annexed to y^e vicariat. 1671 J. Davies (title) The Ceremonies of the Vacant See: or a True Relation of what passes at Rome upon the Pope's Death. 1803 Ld. Nelson Let. to R. Suckling 23 Mar. Mr. Horace Suckling..is very anxious that you should present him to the vacant living. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vi. 95 The archbishopric of York was vacant. 1887 New York Independent 8 Sept. 16 One sixth of its churches are ‘vacant’, meaning of course, without pastors. (b)c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 507/2 Vacavnt, not occupyyd, vacans.?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1872) IV. 381 That he myȝhte haue reioycede an oþer tetrarchye, beenge vacante þat tyme.1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccciij^v Yet hath no man hetherto desyred the same places..as common and vacant to be geuen them.a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) v. ii. 27 Speciall Dignities, which vacant lye For thy best vse and wearing. View more context for this quotation1681 H. Prideaux Lett. (1875) 87 You may be assured y^t as soon as this or any other place is vacant you shall be put in into it.1805 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 14 192 Dr. Arneman..has undertaken to superintend the foreign department of the Medical and Physical Journal, vacant by the decease of the late Dr. Noehden.1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. x. 634 If the throne was vacant the Estates of the Realm might place William in it.1907 F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (ed. 2 reissued) I. 115 Three places had fallen vacant. †b. Const. of (an incumbent or holder). rare. ΚΠ 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 9697 Þe vifte was þat bissopriches & abbeies al so Þat vacauns were of prelas in þe kinges hond were ido. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 109 Northumbrelonde was vacante of a kynge viij^the yeres. †c. Having no owner or possessor. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > non-possession > fact of not being possessed or owned > [adjective] > having no owner vacant1560 unpossessed1582 unowned1611 unoweda1616 unmastered1793 ownerless1806 unattached1888 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xvj The goodes of the Empire, whiche shall chaunce to be vacant, he shall geue away to no man. 1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum Vacant Effects (in Law) are such as are abandoned for want of an Heir, after the Death or Flight of their former Owner. 2. a. Devoid of all material contents or accessories; containing, or occupied by, nothing; unfilled, empty, void. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective] > empty idlec825 toomOE lankc1000 emptyOE leera1250 i-lerc1275 vain1382 void1390 bare1399 vacanta1400 i-voidec1415 hollow1600 vake1600 clear1607 inane1662 blank1748 viduous1855 unchargeda1861 a1400–50 Alexander 4774 For, fra it droȝe to þe derke ay till it dawid eftir, It was bot vacant & voide as vanite it were. c1450 Godstow Reg. 417 One voide place of ther owne lond.] c1450 Godstow Reg. 417 The forsaid vacant place of lond. a1661 W. Brereton Trav. (1844) 15 In the middle a square vacant place, wherein the moulded brick is disposed. 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 89 The Moon, When she deserts the night Hid in her vacant interlunar cave. View more context for this quotation 1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 141 The billowy plain boils wide; nor can evade..its [sc. the blast's] seizing force; Or whirl'd in air, or into vacant chaff Shook waste. 1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty 8 The vacant space within the shell. 1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty 91 It fills up the vacant angle under the arm. 1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. xxiii. 472 Instant to his aid The Goddess hasted, to his vacant hand His whip restored. 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. ix. 714 From that very moment, complaint was extinguished; and the voice of praise..occupied the vacant air. 1858 G. Glenny Gardener's Every-day Bk. (new ed.) 76/2 All the plants that are strong enough..may be planted in vacant places. in extended use.a1822 P. B. Shelley Death i. 6 All dead! those vacant names alone..remain.1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 233 Philosophy was becoming more and more vacant and abstract. b. Devoid of an occupant; not taken up by any one. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective] voida1350 unoccupied1560 absent1587 devoid1590 vacant1600 naked1643 vacated1791 untrenched1887 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 285 But now..that warre-thoughts, Haue left their places vacant: in their roomes, Come [etc.] . View more context for this quotation 1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida ii. sig. D2 There's not a vacant corner of my heart, But all is fild with deade Antonios losse. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 190 In stead Of Spirits maligne a better Race to bring Into thir vacant room. View more context for this quotation 1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day iii. 67 Satan's accurst Desertion to supply, And fill the vacant Stations of the Sky. 1780 E. Burke Speech Oeconomical Reformation 38 The bleak winds..howling through the vacant lobbies, and clattering the doors of deserted guard-rooms. 1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xx. 34 To see the vacant chair, and think, ‘How good! how kind! and he is gone.’ View more context for this quotation 1886 J. Ruskin Præterita II. vii. 247 There was a spacious half of seat vacant in my little hooded carriage. c. Of land, houses, etc.: Uninhabited, unoccupied, untenanted. Also, of a room: Not in use, disengaged. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > non-possession > fact of not being possessed or owned > [adjective] > unoccupied unoccupied1425 void1479 vacant1518 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > [adjective] > not > empty or unoccupied emptyOE unoccupied1425 void1479 vacant1518 waste1574 distenanted1594 tenantlessa1616 empse1642 untenanted1677 dead1879 1518 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 146 About viij c howseholdes in the same Towne desolate, vacante, and decayed. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. iii Let the old souldiers..enter upon the vacant lands. 1785 W. Paley Moral & Polit. Philos. (1818) II. 383 The new settlers will naturally convert their labour to the cultivation of the vacant soil. 1847 A. Helps Friends in Council I. i. 2 A house which had long been vacant in our neighbourhood. 1891 ‘S. C. Scrivener’ Our Fields & Cities 140 There are at least a million and a-half acres likely to be vacant every autumn. d. Marked or characterized by the absence of life, activity, or sound. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective] > deserted manlessOE willc1330 void1338 desolatec1374 destitute1382 blouta1522 destituted1550 unmanned1609 lifeless1615 deserted1629 vaked1638 vacant1791 1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. ii. 68 Amid the stillness of the vacant night. 1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam xxxiv. 53 To drop head-foremost in the jaws Of vacant darkness and to cease. View more context for this quotation 1894 H. Caine Manxman iii. iv. 136 Somewhere in the dead and vacant dawn Philip went to bed. e. Of water: Free from ice; open. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > ice > [adjective] > free from ice > specifically of water vacant1853 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. x. 71 On the morning of the 7th, a large vacant sheet of water showed itself to the westward. 3. a. With of. Devoid or destitute of, entirely lacking or free from, something. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > non-possession > [adjective] > devoid of something nakedeOE toomOE windia1225 skerec1250 freea1325 expertc1374 unbeseen1390 vacanta1400 devoidc1400 indigent1490 waste1513 clear1569 divesta1679 viduate1692 innocent1706 divested1742 sincerea1754 virgin1889 a1400–50 Alexander 5116 We at ere voide ay of vice & vacant of syn. a1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. xxxii. 101 If þe state of þe herte be vacant of a riȝt fundement. 1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. i. 126 My person, which I waigh not, Being of those Vertues [truth and honesty] vacant . View more context for this quotation 1637 J. Milton Comus 25 That no corner might Be vacant of her [sc. Nature's] plentie. 1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim (1687) xxxii. 391 A company of select friends, vacant of business, and full of chearfulness, met together at one table. 1755 B. Franklin Observ. conc. Increase Mankind 12 in W. Clarke Observ. Late & Present Conduct French Was the Face of the Earth vacant of other Plants, it might be..sowed and overspread with one Kind only. 1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 7 The hour being vacant of business, he got upon his legs. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 109 I, to herd with narrow foreheads, vacant of our glorious gains! 1910 A. M. Fairbairn Stud. Relig. & Theol. ii. ii. ii. 292 How could men vacant of good have affinities with Him [etc.]? elliptical.1582 Bible (Rheims) 2 Pet. i. 8 They shal make you not vacant [L. vacuos], nor without fruite. †b. Empty-handed; destitute. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > poverty > [adjective] > poor > very poor or destitute (as) poor as JobOE nakedOE voidc1374 naisa1400 vacant1430 (as) drunk, (also mad, poor, rank, weak, etc.) as a rat?1548 Hungarian1608 pauper1690 destitute1735 farthingless1834 pebble-beached1890 piss-poor1945 1430–40 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes iv. vi. (Bodl. 263) They banished hym neuer to come agayne: And so this tiraunt, vacant, wente in veyn Aboute the world as a fals Fugityff. 1576 G. Wapull Tyde taryeth no Man sig. D.iiij So that none of vs went vacant away, But of one of the parties, had honestly our pay. 4. a. Of time: Free from, unoccupied with, affairs, business, or customary work; leisure. Also const. from (an action or occupation).Frequently from c1550 to c1750; now Obsolete or rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [adjective] > free (of time) unoccupied?a1439 avoid1488 void1530 vacant1531 remiss1566 spared1580 nugifrivolous1589 sparea1610 leisure1669 society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure freeOE restingOE at leisurea1529 vacant1531 otious1614 unbended1693 unbending1701 picktootha1726 disengaged1836 otiant1845 otiose1850 eased1851 vacationing1926 (a) 1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. viii. sig. Cviii^v Puttyng one to hym..in vacant tymes from other more serious lernynge. 1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xviii. sig. Jvi^v Alexander, in tymes vacaunt from bataile, delyted in that maner huntinge. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Richard III f. lviij Suche yuell persones as wil not lyue one houre vacant from doyng and exercisyng crueltie. 1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 80 Feriarum, that is, dayes vacant from pleading and labour. (b)1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke xiv He wil with good laisure at a vacaunt time sitte down [etc.].1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation Aunsw. Lett. sig. *4 Such scriblings are hardly worth the vacantest howers.1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning* i. sig. C3^v The most actiue or busie man that hath been or can bee, hath..many vacant times of leasure. View more context for this quotation1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes v. §9. 419 Vacant houres cannot better be spent then in the Artillery Garden.1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 471. ¶3 The Memory relieves the Mind in her vacant Moments.1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1787) II. xviii. 104 Chosroes..consumed his vacant hours in the rural sports of hunting and hawking.1805 T. Lindley Voy. Brasil (1808) 34 The females, who fill up their vacant hours with this elegant amusement.1816 J. Austen Emma I. iii. 35 Any vacant evening of his own blank solitude. View more context for this quotation †b. Of persons: Not engaged or employed in (one's usual or regular) occupation or work; disengaged or free from labour or toil; at leisure; also, having nothing or little to do. Obsolete. ΚΠ (a) 1564 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Moral Philos. (new ed.) f. 70 When he was vacant from his labour, he woulde write most eloquent..Comedies. a1628 J. Preston New Covenant (1634) 152 Those that are vacant from such things are at rest. (b)1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 154 They may be vacant as Christians.1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 116 For Satan with slye preface to return Had left him vacant . View more context for this quotation1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. i. xxvi. 148 If he can produce any vacant person richer than himself.a1763 W. Shenstone Wks. Verse & Prose (1764) I. 4 Another spring renews the soldier's toil, And finds me vacant in the rural cave.1782 Encycl. Brit. IX. 6933/2 In such excursions those vacant people [Laplanders] find a luxurious and ready repast in these fish.absolute.1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom I. Ded. p. vii To instruct the ignorant, and entertain the vacant. c. Characterized by, arising or proceeding from, absence of occupation, leisure, or idleness; undisturbed by business or work. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [adjective] easyc1385 leisurable1607 vacant1615 leisured1631 leisure1669 sauntry1732 Sundayish1797 sauntering1818 toilless1848 off-duty1851 Sundayfied1899 non-work1922 spare-time1931 non-job1932 the world > action or operation > inaction > idleness, lack of occupation or activity > [adjective] > characterized by lack of occupation idle1297 vacant1615 vacuous1872 1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 256 Here vacant Life, here Peace her empire keepes. 1630 H. Wotton in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) II. 332 A great natural principle, that the vacantest thoughts are everywhere the worst. 1662 P. Gunning Paschal or Lent-Fast 202 A season of vacant attendance on fasting and prayer. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. v. 42 Every morning waked us to a repetition of toil; but the evening repaid it with vacant hilarity. 1776 E. Cameron Fingal of Ossian 10 That poetical Enthusiasm, which is better suited to a vacant and indolent state. 1866 R. Chambers Ess. 2nd Ser. 89 An idle and vacant life..is not calculated to be a happy one. d. At leisure to devote oneself to some object. Also of things, open or accessible to some influence, etc. Now rare or Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure > having leisure for or to do something vacant1631 vacant1703 the world > action or operation > operation upon something > [adjective] > involving subjection to action or influence > able or liable to be affected subjectablea1382 subject1549 occurrent1566 obnoxious1572 prostitute1591 liable1593 incident1603 patible1603 susceptible1605 obvious1609 recipient1610 affectable1611 susceptive1637 receptivea1676 ticklish1681 subjectiblea1732 vacant1751 timid1764 susceptible1883 impressionable1889 1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabbath Vindicated 151 How much more ought Christians to bee vacant to God alone on the Lords day? 1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness v. xiv. 172 Grotius,..who by reason of his Political emploiments could not be so entirely vacant to the searching into so abstruse a Mystery. 1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. 1 Tim. v. 13 Those that are taken up with Family Business of their own are not so vacant and liable to these Crimes. 1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 111. ⁋5 When the heart is vacant to every fresh form of delight. 1763 S. Johnson Let. 8 Dec. (1992) I. 239 Vacant to every object and sensible of every impulse. 1838 J. Stephen Ess. Eccl. Biogr. II. 184 So long as they shall be vacant to record..contrite reminiscences of a desire for roasted goose. †e. At leisure for something. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [adjective] > at or having leisure > having leisure for or to do something vacant1631 vacant1703 1703 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion II. viii. 417 S^r John Berkley,..who was the more vacant for that Service by the reduction of Barnstable. 5. a. Of the mind or brain: Devoid of or unoccupied with thought or reflection. Chiefly poetic. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > thought > absence of thought > [adjective] unfurnished1549 vacant1579 thoughtless1594 thoughtfree1652 unthinking1688 incogitative1690 incogitant1702 fanciless1753 vacuous1854 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Oct. 100 The vaunted verse a vacant head demaundes, Ne wont with crabbed care the Muses dwell. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. i. 266 The wretched Slaue: Who with a body fill'd, and vacant mind, Gets him to rest. View more context for this quotation 1770 O. Goldsmith Deserted Village 122 The loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind. 1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 624 Absence of occupation is not rest, A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd. 1818 S. E. Ferrier Marriage I. xiv. 198 The demon of ennui again took possession of her vacant mind. 1855 Ld. Tennyson Daisy in Maud & Other Poems 144 Perchance, to lull the throbs of pain, Perchance, to charm a vacant brain. †b. Abstracted or disengaged from (the body, etc.) in contemplation or reverie. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > inattention > mental wandering > abstraction, absent-mindedness > [adjective] in one's musesa1500 abstract1509 abstracteda1586 absent1631 thoughtful1656 vacant1680 lost in thought1681 withdrawn1713 dreamy1794 dun1797 preoccupied1801 absent-minded1824 pebble-beached1890 1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 5 I was in the spirit on the Lord's day,..my mind being vacant from this earthly body, and external senses. †c. Free from care or anxiety. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > indifference > [adjective] carelessOE negligentc1390 recklessc1425 neutral1494 indifferent?1520 undifferentc1540 uncareful1560 unmindful1560 unaddicted1583 unmindful1585 perfunctory1602 disinteressed1603 come day, go day (God send Sunday)1616 disinteresteda1631 Laodicean1633 vacanta1639 unconcerned1645 easy1649 mawkish1679 indifferinga1694 concernless1706 unminding1714 nonchalanta1734 coolrife1768 uninterested1772 uncaring1786 tooth-picking1814 pococurante1815 pococurantish1821 insouciant1829 non-committal1829 don't-care1830 promiscuous1837 don't-carish1838 unpartial1840 noncurantist1882 noncuranta1913 casual1916 Gallionic1920 disengaged1958 a1639 H. Wotton Earl of Essex & Duke of Buckingham: Parallel in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1685) 171 The Duke..even in the midst of so many diversions, had continually a very pleasant and vacant face (as I may well call it) proceeding no doubt from a singular assurance in his temper. 1723 R. Steele Conscious Lovers ii. i Why so much Care in thy Countenance?.. You, who used to be so Gay, so Open, so Vacant! 6. a. Characterized by, exhibiting, or proceeding from, absence of intelligence or thought; expressionless, meaningless; inane. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > [adjective] unwittyc1000 heartlessa1382 meana1387 conceitless?c1425 insensuat1508 insensate1528 insensible?1531 miskenning1533 unsensible1560 witless1562 unfraught1587 unconceiving1593 stupid1595 small-knowing1598 surd1601 ununderstanding1611 unapprehensible1613 unperceiving?1623 unapprehensive1624 inapprehending1652 incomprehensive1652 inapprehensive1653 impenetrative1684 blind1692 uncomprehensive1694 unpenetrating1701 unmeaning1704 vacant1712 gilly-gaupus1754 unacute1775 unapprehending1794 unpenetrative1795 unwitted1828 uncomprehending1838 irrecognizant1845 vacuous1848 incomprehending1881 mush-headed1884 wantwit1894 doofus1967 acerebral1968 brain-dead1972 goofus1981 1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 515. ⁋4 The vacant look of a fine Lady is not to be preserved, if she admits any thing to take up her Thoughts but her own dear Person. 1780 W. Cowper Progress of Error 205 Yet folly ever has a vacant stare. 1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci iii. i. 46 Let me mask Mine own [looks] in some inane and vacant smile. 1830 J. G. Strutt Sylva Brit. (rev. ed.) 31 The loud laugh of the woodpecker, joyous and vacant. 1841 G. P. R. James Brigand i His eyes gazed upon the scene, but with somewhat of a vacant aspect. 1878 B. Taylor Prince Deukalion ii. i. 56 Vacant are thine eyes, Cold thine insulted brow and mute thy lips. b. Empty-headed, unthinking. rare. ΚΠ 1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xii. 163 Metellus was a vacant aristocrat, to be depended on for resisting popular demands, but without insight otherwise. 7. vacant possession, with reference to premises (esp. those offered for sale): available for occupation by the purchaser, not occupied by the vendor or a tenant or tenants.The legal interpretation of the term can be modified in certain circumstances by agreement between the vendor and the purchaser. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > state of being available for occupation vacant possession1825 1825 H. Roscoe Treat. Law of Actions relating to Real Property I. 546 Ejectment cannot be maintained, as on a vacant possession, where there is any thing left by the tenant on the premises, however trifling. 1883 Wharton's Law-lexicon (ed. 7) 287/1 In case of vacant possession the writ may be served by posting a copy on some conspicuous part of the property. 1927 Daily Tel. 24 May 4/7 Vacant possession at Michaelmas will be given of the Manor Farm, 428 acres, at Oxwick. 1946 Law Rep.: King's Bench Div. 264 A vendor who leaves chattels of his own on property sold by him to an extent depriving the purchaser of the physical enjoyment of part of the property has failed to give vacant possession. 1973 Country Life 15 Mar. 713/1 The average price of vacant-possession farms in England is £273 an acre. 1976 Morecambe Guardian 7 Dec. 28/1 (advt.) Three bedroom semi~detached house with vacant possession. B. n. †1. Scottish. A vacant estate. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > land > a landed property or estate > other types of estate freeholdc1432 vacant1572 perpetuity1607 forestry1751 1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 761 And als the nixt vacant..That hapnis in France, quhair sa euer it fall, Forfaltour or fre waird..I gif the heir heritabilly. †2. One who has held office but is for the time being unemployed or in retirement. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > one who does not work > [noun] vacant1602 outler1786 idleman1832 non-producer1840 unworker1843 non-worker1851 non-employed1876 out of work1883 out-of-worker1894 unemployed1900 unwaged1981 UB401983 society > authority > office > withdrawing from or vacating office > [noun] > one who has held office vacant1602 1602 W. Segar Honor Mil. & Civill iv. xxi. 236 These diuers degrees were in the Emperiall Court called Administrantes, Vacantes, and Honorarii.] 1602 W. Segar Honor Mil. & Civill iv. xxi. 237 Note likewise that the Officers whom we call Vacants are of two sorts. †3. plural. A vacation. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [noun] > a period of > holidays > formal > legal or university voiding1468 summer vacation1507 justitium1583 long vacation1631 vacants1647 long1848 1647 T. May Hist. Parl. i. iii. 35 The next Terme, after the ordinary vacants, to be held at the Burgh of Dendie. †4. poetic. A vacant space; a vacuum. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > [noun] > absolute emptiness of space > an absolutely empty space vacuum1607 vacant1712 void?1720 1712 R. Blackmore Creation v. 248 Ready by Turns to rise or to descend, Nature against a Vacant to defend. 1712 R. Blackmore Creation vii. 355 Thou in the Vacant didst the Earth suspend. Compounds vacant-eyed, vacant-looking, vacant-minded, vacant-seeming adjs.; vacant-heartedness, vacant-mindedness. ΚΠ 1796 F. Burney Camilla III. vi. v. 219 We all heard he was engaged to your beautiful vacant-looking cousin. 1836 Poe in Southern Lit. Messenger Apr. 339/2 Not a broad, forced, loud vacant-minded joke, but a quiet, pungent, sly, laughter-moving conceit. 1846 C. G. F. Gore Sketches Eng. Char. I. 112 If they have formerly figured as beauties, the fickle voice of fashion now proclaims that they are ‘pretty, certainly, but silly, and vacant-looking’. 1879 W. D. Howells Lady of Aroostook xviii Her frivolity—her not so much vacant-mindedness as vacant-heartedness. 1883 J. Mackenzie Day-dawn in Dark Places 272 I have been saddened by the vacant-minded pupil. 1922 D. H. Lawrence Aaron's Rod (N.Y. ed.) xiii. 186 It was a large, vacant-seeming, Empire sort of drawing-room. 1936 L. H. Myers Strange Glory ii. ix. 150 A boy of about ten.., ill-nourished and vacant-eyed. 1965 J. A. Michener Source (1966) 59 From the shores of Morocco..came frightened, dirty, pathetic Jews, illiterate, often crippled with disease and vacant-eyed. Derivatives † ˈvacant v. (a) transitive to render vacant, in various senses; to vacate; (b) intransitive to take a vacation. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > leave unoccupied [verb (transitive)] > make unoccupied wanec1200 evacuate1607 untenant1640 vacant1649 unstock1655 disnesta1700 to clean out1858 distenant1876 society > leisure > [verb (intransitive)] > keep or take holiday playa1387 ferie1496 to make holiday1526 vacant1752 pleasure1827 vacate1836 vacation1896 1649 E. Rainbow Serm. Interring C'tess of Suffolk 30 She applyed her self vigorously to the setling of all things, which concerned the secular affairs of her Family, that so she might totally and wholly be vacanted to God. 1674 Catholicon 18 Which Sacredness they know may be presently vacanted by the Prevalency of a greater opposite Power. 1752 Scotland's Glory 57 For getting Yule kept up Our highest courts vacanted. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.n.c1290
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