vacuumn.
/ˈvakjuːm/, U.S. /ˈvækˌjum/ 1. Emptiness of space; space unoccupied by matter. Now rare or Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [noun] > absolute emptiness of space
vaina1382
emptiness1533
empty1535
vacuity1546
vacuum1550
vacancy1603
voida1618
inanea1676
1550 T. Cranmer Def. Sacrament f. 21 Naturall reason abhorreth vacuum, that is to say, that there shoulde be any emptye place, wherin no substance shoulde be.
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. dj This Arte..is very proffitable: to proue, that Vacuum, or Emptines is not in the world.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §83 The more gross of the Tangible Parts do contract and serve themselves together..to avoid Vacuum.
1657 J. Trapp Comm. Ezra ix. 6 For beyond the moveable Heavens, Aristotle..saith there is neither body, nor time, nor place, nor vacuum.
1676 Poor Robins Intelligence 30 May–6 June 1/1 Having his head as ful of Vacuum as his small proportion of brains was capable of.
1795 W. Blake Bk. of Los i Round the flames roll,..mounting on high Into Vacuum, into nonentity, Where nothing was.
1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 76/1 The astronomical argument, therefore, in favour of absolute vacuum has fallen.
2.
a. A space entirely empty of matter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [noun] > absolute emptiness of space > an absolutely empty space
vacuum1607
vacant1712
void?1720
1607 T. Tomkis Lingua iv. i. H i b First shall the whole Machin of the world..returne to..Chaos, then the least vacuvm be found in the vniuerse.
1638 Bp. J. Wilkins Discov. New World (1684) i. 23 To dispute against Democritus, who thought, that the World was made by the casual concourse of Atoms in a great Vacuum.
1714 Let. from Layman (ed. 2) 7 A Government can't rightfully restrain a Man's professing the Belief of a Vacuum, or a Plenum.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1763 I. 241 [Johnson:] There are objections against a plenum, and objections against a vacuum; yet one of them must certainly be true.
1865 G. Grote Plato I. i. 80 Proceeding upon his hypothesis of atoms and vacua as the only objective existences.
1884 F. Temple Relations Relig. & Sci. (1885) i. 8 The reasons why..Nature abhors a vacuum were discovered.
b. A space empty of air, esp. one from which the air has been artificially withdrawn.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > gas > air > [noun] > air-pressure > vacuum
vacuum1652
singular.
plural.1778 Philos. Trans. 1777 (Royal Soc.) 67 679 That the vacua be as nearly as possible compleat.1832 D. Brewster Lett. Nat. Magic x. 262 The plates being raised or depressed by the voluntary muscles form so many vacua.1652 J. French York-shire Spaw ii. 7 So much air being spent, there would of necessity follow a vacuum.
1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall Proem 2 The Interest of the Ayr, in hindring the descent of the Quick-silver, in the famous Experiment touching a Vacuum.
1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. i. i. 8 The Ear-wig..and some other Insects would seem unconcerned at the Vacuum a good while, and lie as dead; but revive in the Air.
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 299 The air contained therein is condensed, and leaves a vacuum, which the external air..tends to occupy.
1829 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) I. Heat ii. 2 Count Rumford proved the passage of heat through a Torricellian vacuum, that is, the space left at the top of a barometer by the mercury falling.
1860 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea (ed. 8) i. §6 At the height of 80 or 90 miles there is a vacuum far more complete than any which we can produce by any air-pump.
1873 J. P. Cooke New Chem. (1874) i. 17 Alcohol expands more slowly into the aqueous vapor than it would into a vacuum.
c. elliptical for vacuum cleaner, Compounds 2. colloquial (originally U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > [noun] > vacuum-cleaner
vacuum cleaner1903
vacuum1910
Hoover1934
vac1974
1910 Judge 9 Apr. 8/2 A vacuum was the only thing she could be trusted to handle with safety.
1922 Hotel World 25 Mar. 14/1 I have three vacuums going all day.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 8 Mar. (Suppl.) 10/1 Is it better to have a powerful or a handy cleaner? That has always been a problem when choosing a ‘vacuum’.
1977 New Yorker 24 Oct. 88/3 Green Haven's dep [sc. deputy superintendent] of administration was preoccupied with the size of the wet-dry vacuums being used to clean the prison kitchen.
3.
a. An empty space; a portion of space (left) unoccupied or unfilled with the usual or natural contents.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [noun] > an unoccupied space
vacuity?1541
vacuum1589
blanka1616
gapa1616
vacancy1652
space1654
evacuity1655
void1697
chasm1759
lacuna1872
null1887
1589 T. Nashe To Students in R. Greene Menaphon Epist. sig. **4 The Scythians, who..swaddle themselues streighter, to the intent no vacuum beeing left in their intrayles [etc.].
a1635 T. Randolph Poems (1638) 125 Vnnaturall vacuum, can your emptinesse Answer to some slight questions?
1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical x. 126 He made a Dive into my Pocket, but encountring a Disappointment, Rub'd off, Cursing the Vacuum.
1739 J. Sparrow tr. H. F. Le Dran Observ. Surg. xxxvi. 139 I discovered a Vacuum upon the intercostal Muscles, from whence about a Spoonful of..Matter was discharged.
1791 H. Walpole in Miss Berry's Jrnl. I. 328 I shall fill my vacuum with some lines that General Conway has sent me.
a1838 C. Morris Lyra Urban. (1840) II. 97 The Dandy's head, A vacuum dead, Ne'er tries for thought to seek!
b. In various figurative uses.
ΚΠ
?1608 S. Lennard tr. P. Charron Of Wisdome i. vii. 32 It were a vacuum, a defect, a deformitie too absurd in nature..that betwixt two extreames..there should be no middle.
1617 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Faire Quarrell ii. sig. D3v I cannot see that vacuum in your bloud.
a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) i. 10 Commonly they misspent that triennial probation, and left upon that place a vacuum of doing little or nothing.
1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 384 'Tis infinitely pleasing to observe there has been no Vacuum in our Life.
1772 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 62 317 It should therefore seem that the larks from the more adjacent parts croud in to supply the vacuum occasioned by the London Epicures.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer I. ix. 250 The..vacuum occasioned by my mother's death.
1846 G. Grote Hist. Greece I. i. xvi. 476 They filled up the vacuum of the unrecorded past.
1879 R. H. Elliot Written on their Foreheads I. 140 So Martin Kerr..was left with a sheer, hopeless vacuum to fill up as best he could.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.Also vacuum-apparatus, vacuum-cylinder, vacuum-filter, vacuum-gauge, vacuum-shunt, vacuum-valve (Knight, 1875–84).
a.
vacuum-brake n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > devices to retard or stop motion > brake or braking apparatus > types of
handbrake1841
rubber1850
air brake1857
disc brake1865
power brake1865
hydraulic brake1874
vacuum-brake1875
rim brake1876
drum brake1882
sand brakea1884
calliper brake1904
rheostatic brake1920
callipers1972
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2686/1 Vacuum-brake, a form of steam-operated car-brake.
1889 G. Findlay Working & Managem. Eng. Railway 168 The train is fitted throughout with vacuum brakes.
vacuum cleanser n.
ΚΠ
1903 Westm. Gaz. 30 May 5/3 There is a machine at work, called the ‘vacuum cleanser’, which gives them all, in turn, a thorough ‘spring cleaning’.
vacuum disk n.
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1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxiii. 163 Sometimes the vacuum disks were parallel to the veins [of the glacier].
vacuum distillation n.
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1899 J. Cagney tr. R. von Jaksch Clin. Diagnosis (ed. 4) 170 Still better for this purpose is the method of vacuum distillation.
vacuum engine n.
ΚΠ
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 670 The application of Mr. Brown's pneumatic, or vacuum engine.
vacuum-pan n.
ΚΠ
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 1208 An apparatus inserted air-tight into the cover of the vacuum-pan.
1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. III. 66 The syrup..is boiled down again in the vacuum pan, and is obtained in the form of..crushed sugar.
vacuum-vessel n.
ΚΠ
1899 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 323 Professor Dewar's coils and vacuum-vessels.
b.
vacuum-jacketed adj.
ΚΠ
1946 Nature 20 July 105/1 The best way to carry methane on motor-vehicles is as a liquid in vacuum-jacketed tanks.
1970 Sci. Jrnl. Aug. 82/3 The ‘lagged storage tank’ for LNG would need to be vacuum jacketed.
vacuum-made adj.
ΚΠ
1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) II. 879 Vacuum-made liqueurs.
C2.
vacuum activity n. (see quot. 1981).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > uninfluenced by external impulse
self-action1613
self-activity1644
spontaneity1651
vacuum activity1953
1953 N. Tinbergen Herring Gull's World iv. 35 It is possible..this was just a kind of ‘vacuum activity’ due to the accumulation of the urge to paddle.
1981 Oxf. Compan. Animal Behaviour 579/1 Vacuum activities occur in the apparent absence of the external stimuli that normally elicit the activity.
vacuum aspiration n. a method of induced abortion in which the contents of the uterus are removed by suction through a tube passed into it via the vagina.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > [noun] > operations on sex organs > operations on female sex organs > obstetrical operations > for abortion
termination1904
illegal operation1910
vacuum aspiration1967
scrape1968
1967 Obstetrics & Gynecol. XXX. 28 (heading) A critical view of vacuum aspiration: a new method for the termination of pregnancy.
1974 R. Passmore & J. S. Robson Compan. Med. Stud. III. xlii. 7/2 Before the 12th week it is customary and simplest to evacuate the uterus via the vagina by vacuum aspiration.
1978 F. Weldon Praxis ii. 13 If by mistake they fall pregnant, they abort by vacuum aspiration.
vacuum bottle n. = vacuum flask n. below.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > containers for drink > [noun] > carrying flask > vacuum flask
Thermos1907
vacuum bottle1910
vacuum flask1917
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > flask, flagon, or bottle > [noun] > flask > vacuum flask
Thermos1907
vacuum bottle1910
vacuum flask1917
Dewar1966
1910 Chambers's Jrnl. June 413/2 The vacuum-bottle has entered so extensively into the domestic circle as to become regarded almost as indispensable.
1976 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 6 Mar. 19/5 Use lunch buckets or vacuum bottles to keep foods hot or cold.
vacuum chamber n. a chamber designed to be emptied of air.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > workshop > [noun] > chamber empty of air
vacuum chambera1877
the world > matter > gas > air > [noun] > air-pressure > vacuum > chamber
vacuum chambera1877
doughnut1941
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. III. 2687/2 Huffer..claims the use of exhaust steam from an engine to condense in a vacuum-chamber, and so raise water to turn a wheel.
1971 Materials & Technol. II. v. 230 A certain amount of water is evaporated from the clay as it passes through the vacuum chamber.
vacuum-clean v. [as a back-formation] (transitive) = vacuum v.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > vacuum-clean [verb (transitive)]
vacuum-clean1912
vacuum1922
vac1942
1912 Sci. Amer. 22 Nov. 442/2 (caption) Vacuum-cleaning an automobile. The exhaust gases of the motor create the suction.
1924 R. Kipling Debits & Credits (1926) 149 The organ-bench, whose purple velvet cushion was being vacuum-cleaned on the floor below.
1956 Good Housek. Home Encycl. (ed. 4) 316/2 Wicker~work..requires to be brushed or vacuum-cleaned regularly.
1973 Physics Bull. Feb. 110/3 These..could then be scraped and vacuum cleaned from the carpet.
1977 J. R. L. Anderson Death in City i. 10 A team..did the rooms,..vacuum-cleaning floors.
1983 Daily Tel. 8 Apr. 16/3 Soviet spies are vacuum cleaning the West for its industrial and scientific secrets.
vacuum cleaner n. an electrical appliance for removing dust (from carpets and other flooring, soft furnishings, etc.) by suction; also transferred and figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > [noun] > vacuum-cleaner
vacuum cleaner1903
vacuum1910
Hoover1934
vac1974
1903 Hardwareman 23 May 395 A decision of..serious import as regards the operations of the Vacuum Cleaner Co.
1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 113/1 The ‘Witch’ Dust Extractor is a vacuum cleaner suitable alike for carpets, upholstery, clothing, &c.
1962 A. Lurie Love & Friendship i. 12 She..did not hear the noise of the vacuum cleaner sucking its way up the stair carpeting.
1972 World Bk. Sci. Ann. 1971 342 The vacuum cleaner is actually a hydraulic pump designed to lift as much as 400 tons of material from the sea floor daily.
1976 Times 1 Mar. 13/3 The conservation of fish stocks..in the face of over-developed world fishing fleets and ‘vacuum cleaner’ techniques of fishing.
vacuum-cleaning n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > [noun]
vacuum-cleaning1902
vacuuming1953
1902 Let. 20 Oct. in Goblin Story (Goblin Ltd.) (1969) 9 I have submitted the subject of the Vacuum Cleaning Company's operations to the King.
1916 J. Webster Dear Enemy 71 ‘Well?’ said she, her tone implying that I was a vacuum-cleaning agent.
1939 Country Life 11 Feb. p. vi (advt.) Vacuum cleaning plant.
vacuum-deposit v. (transitive) .
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > state of being solid rather than fluid > solid rather than fluid [verb (transitive)] > deposit (sediment)
precipitate1644
deposit1672
throw1731
depose1759
depositate1782
sediment1859
vacuum-deposit1982
1982 Jrnl. Colloid & Interface Sci. 90 335 When certain materials such as Se or Sn are vacuum-deposited onto heated polymers under appropriate conditions, a most unusual structure can form.
vacuum-deposited adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > state of being solid rather than fluid > [adjective] > deposited
precipitated1650
vacuum-deposited1946
1946 Nature 14 Dec. 862/1 Mollwo reported on the density of vacuum-deposited salt layers.
1982 Jrnl. Colloid & Interface Sci. 90 337/1 The vacuum deposited structure is little altered if the system pressure during deposition is allowed to rise.
vacuum deposition n. deposition of a substance by allowing it to condense from the vapour in what is otherwise a vacuum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > state of being solid rather than fluid > [noun] > solid matter left after evaporation, etc. > fact of depositing
vacuum deposition1960
1960 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. X. 596/2 Fabrication of printed resistors by vacuum deposition is an expensive process and there has been no general application of this technique except for precision resistive elements.
1982 Jrnl. Colloid & Interface Sci. 90 337/1 The structure of the monolayer assemblies formed by vacuum deposition is almost independent of the deposition rate.
vacuum extraction n. Obstetrics the application of suction to a baby's head to assist its birth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > [noun] > operations on sex organs > operations on female sex organs > obstetrical operations
Caesarean birth1661
hysterotomy1707
embryotomy1765
embryoctony1788
omphalotomy1828
cephalotomy1836
synchondrotomy1842
symphysiotomy1846
pelviotomy1847
version1853
gastro-hysterotomy1854
craniotomy1855
cranioclasm1860
pubiotomy1865
cephalotripsy1876
episiotomy1878
cleidotomy1901
Caesarean1923
Caesar1952
C-section1960
section1960
vacuum extraction1961
1961 Lancet 22 July 189/2 They concluded that vacuum extraction does not distress the fœtus.
1975 I. Illich Med. Nemesis vii. 120 The vacuum extraction method has rendered the interruption of pregnancies safe, cheap and simple.
vacuum extractor n. a cup-shaped appliance for achieving this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > obstetrical equipment > [noun]
birth stool1627
forceps1634
ungula1684
unguis1752
fillet1753
crotchet1754
lack1754
tire-tête1754
perforator1790
vectis1790
cranioclast1860
binder1861
stirrup1936
vacuum extractor1954
birthing stool1956
ventouse1960
1954 T. Malmström in Acta Obstetrica et Gynecologica Scandinavica XXXIII. Suppl. No. 4. 5 The vacuum extractor ad modum Dr Malmstrom is constructed and manufactured in co-operation with R. Soderberg & Co, Gothenburg, Sweden.
1960 Proc. Royal Soc. Med. 53 749/1 The vacuum extractor consists of a flattened round metal cup with bulging sides.
1980 S. Kitzinger Pregnancy & Childbirth 260 Sometimes a vacuum extractor, or ventouse, is used instead of forceps.
vacuum-fitted adj. of a railway car: furnished with a vacuum brake.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [adjective] > types of railway carriage or wagon
platformed1883
blind1893
piggyback1936
vacuum-fitted1937
1937 Discovery Mar. 88/2 Each [van]..is vacuum fitted and fully equipped for working on fast passenger trains.
1968 Listener 15 Aug. 210/1 We..have a brake which is known as the vacuum brake, and our wagons are known as vacuum-fitted.
vacuum flask n. a vessel with a double wall enclosing a vacuum so that liquid in the inner receptacle retains its temperature (cf. Thermos n.); also transferred in attributive use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > containers for drink > [noun] > carrying flask > vacuum flask
Thermos1907
vacuum bottle1910
vacuum flask1917
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > flask, flagon, or bottle > [noun] > flask > vacuum flask
Thermos1907
vacuum bottle1910
vacuum flask1917
Dewar1966
1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 946/3 The ‘Icy-Hot’ Vacuum Flasks, improved designs, will keep liquids hot for 24 hours or cold for 3 days.
1926 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 20 Jan. 5/1 This vacuum flask will keep things hot for you indefinitely.
1958 New Statesman 23 Aug. 214/2 Investigation in person will clearly have to wait until travellers are provided with armour-plated vacuum~flask suits.
1978 M. Babson Tightrope for Three vi. 39 She..filled the kettle..and..the vacuum flask as well.
vacuum fluctuation n. Physics a fluctuation in field strength in a nominally field-free vacuum, occurring in consequence of the quantization of any radiation field.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > quantum theory > [noun] > application of quantum theory > fluctuation arising from
vacuum fluctuation1955
1955 L. Rosenfeld in W. Pauli Niels Bohr & Devel. Physics 88 The ‘vacuum’ fluctuations of the field variables.
1973 Nature 14 Dec. 397/1 The laws of physics place no limit on the scale of vacuum fluctuations. The duration is of course subject to the restriction ΔEΔt ∼ h.
1979 J. C. Polkinghorne Particle Play v. 74 Buffeted by vacuum fluctuations the elementary particle has a pretty rocky ride. This is the origin of the infinities which people found when they first tried to calculate with quantum field theories.
vacuum forming n. a type of thermoforming in which a vacuum is used to draw the plastic into the mould (see quot. 1974).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with rubber or plastic > [noun] > moulding plastics
preforming1931
injection moulding1932
compression moulding1940
transfer moulding1940
slush moulding1943
postforming1945
vacuum forming1946
drape forming1958
thermoforming1958
1946 J. Sasso Plastics Handbk. for Product Engineers v. 308 In the vacuum-forming process the plastic sheet is heated to approximately 250F.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XIV. 521/1 In simple vacuum forming, the plastic sheet is clamped over an airtight box, from which air is exhausted, rapidly drawing the heated plastic down on a ‘former’ within the box, thus reproducing its shape.
vacuum grease n. a grease which because of its low vapour pressure is suitable for sealing joints in a vacuum apparatus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > [noun] > that which closes an aperture > means of preventing passage of gas or liquid > substance > specific
vacuum wax1926
vacuum grease1946
1946 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 50 393 Connection to the vacuum system is made by a ground metal joint sealed with vacuum grease.
1977 Vacuum 27 431/1 There are three factors involved in choosing a vacuum grease—cost, convenience, and its effect on the vacuum system.
vacuum packaging n. (a) = vacuum-packing n. at vacuum-pack v. Derivatives; (b) the vacuumized container used in vacuum-packing.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > container or package for goods > [noun] > specific
woolpack1297
bag-in-a-box1943
pre-package1946
pre-pack1951
Tetra Pak1953
blister package1954
vacuum packaging1954
blister pack1964
ballotin1974
the world > matter > gas > air > [noun] > air-pressure > vacuum > action of packing in
vacuum packaging1954
vacuum-packing1960
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > [noun] > processing > packing > specific
sacking1569
bagging1711
baling1762
woolpacking1875
blister packaging1954
vacuum packaging1954
skin packaging1957
crating1963
strip packaging1969
blister-packing1976
the world > matter > gas > air > [noun] > air-pressure > vacuum > action of packing in > container
vacuum packaging1954
1954 L. C. Barail Packaging Engin. xx. 249 The cans filled with the whole products are then sealed by means of vacuum machines, a process known as vacuum packaging.
1982 R. Manheim tr. G. Grass Headbirths iv. 65 The cut in the vacuum packaging could be patched up.
vacuum polarization n. Physics the spontaneous appearance and disappearance of electron-positron pairs in a vacuum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > particle avoiding strong interaction > electron > [noun] > conversion into electron and positron > appearance or disappearance of pairs
vacuum polarization1951
1935 Physical Rev. 48 55/2 The existence of [such] an induced charge corresponds to a polarization of the vacuum.]
1951 Physical Rev. 81 664/1 We shall illustrate this assertion by applying such a gauge invariant method to treat several aspects of the problem of vacuum polarization by a prescribed electromagnetic field.
1979 D. C. Cheng & G. K. O'Neill Elem. Particle Physics iii. 82 The two dominant processes that modify the electron's interaction with the proton.., resulting in the Lamb shift, are the vertex correction and vacuum polarization.
vacuum pump n. a pump for evacuating a container of air or other gas.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > pump > [noun] > pumps for producing vacua
vacuum pump1858
mercury pump1869
pulsometer1873
mercury vapour pump1926
roughing pump1958
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Vacuum-pump, a pump attached to a marine steam-engine.
1882 Chem. News 27 Oct. 192/1 In the machine in question the refrigeration is effected simply by the evaporation of water under a special vacuum-pump.
1979 J. Matley Fluid Movers v. 267/1 A good seal between the inlet and outlet sides is essential in all mechanical vacuum pumps.
vacuum-tight adj. = airtight adj. and adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > [adjective] > stopping up or blocking > without leak or tight > specific
watertight1489
wind-tight1507
wind and water tighta1550
weatherproof1647
weather-tight1648
wind-fast1648
airtight1728
steam-tight1765
waterproofed1813
gas-tight1819
acid-proof1844
gas-proof1846
oil-tight1847
mudproof1897
pressure-tight1899
draught-proof1908
weather-stripped1908
spill-proof1920
vacuum-tight1927
splash-proof1929
vapour-proof1946
1927 Brit. Jrnl. Radiol. 32 143 The glass is directly sealed to a chromium-iron alloy which is perfectly vacuum-tight.
1946 Nature 23 Nov. 756/2 Vacuum-tight seals through hard glass with bare tungsten wire are difficult to make.
1964 M. Gowing Brit. & Atomic Energy 1939–45 viii. 219 New techniques had to be developed for ensuring that the machinery was..exceptionally vacuum-tight.
vacuum wax n. = vacuum grease n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > [noun] > that which closes an aperture > means of preventing passage of gas or liquid > substance > specific
vacuum wax1926
vacuum grease1946
1926 J. H. Smith tr. L. Dunoyer Vacuum Pract. iii. 142 Vacuum waxes. Golaz wax has been in use since Regnault's time.
1971 Sci. Amer. Aug. 108/1 The joint was sealed with Apiezon W-100 vacuum wax.
Draft additions 1993
vacuum abortion n. = vacuum aspiration n. at Compounds 2 below; an abortion induced by this method.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > abortion > [noun] > types of abortion
vacuum abortion1971
1971 Guardian 8 Nov. 6/8 Vacuum abortion, first used in Eastern Europe, came to Britain by way of New York.
1984 K. Kaufmann in R. Arditti et al. Test-Tube Women 227 For many women this can mean the difference between being able to have a vacuum abortion, being forced into a saline or being refused entirely at the last minute.
Draft additions October 2011
nature abhors a vacuum and variants [compare post-classical Latin natura abhorret vacuum (1513 or earlier)] : a vacuum or unfilled space is unnatural; something will inevitably move in to fill an empty space or niche. Used both literally with reference to physical laws concerning vacuums, and (more often) in extended, allusive, or similative contexts. Cf. horror vacui n.Allusive and similative use often extends to use of a noun other than nature (and occasionally a noun other than vacuum; see quot. 1823, for example).
ΚΠ
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 157v In þe first maner is applicate an horne wiþ an hole... And þe aier is drawen wiþ a mouth and reisyng of flesh foloweþ drawing of þe aier þat nature replenysh voydenez [?c1425 Paris þat þat is voyde; L. vacuum] which it escheweþ euermore as philosofrez han proued.]
1550 T. Cranmer Def. Sacrament f. 44 They say, that the place where the bread and wyne bee, hath no substaunce there to fyll that place, and so must they nedes graunte vacuum, whiche nature vtterly abhorreth.
1658 T. St. Serfe tr. M. de Marmet Entertainments of Cours 43 If he wanted food, my stomach..against the order of Nature (which abhors a vacuum) is posting thither.
1674 R. Boyle Of Cause Attraction by Suction 12 The Atomists, that willingly admit of Vacuities, properly so called, both within and without our World, cannot think that Nature hates or fears a Vacuum, and declines her usual course to prevent it.
a1716 R. South 12 Serm. (1717) VI. 398 Let the wary Christian therefore remember..that Grace abhors a Vacuum in Time as much as Nature does in Place.
1792 J. W. Newman Lounger’s Common-place Bk. I. 41 Miserable is the man who has nothing to do, for the human intellect, like nature, abhors a vacuum, and will embrace any thing, however criminal or trivial, rather than be without an object.
1823 Ladies' Monthly Museum Aug. 10 As it is philosophically said that nature abhors a vacuum, so may it be morally said that ethics abhor a pause.
1865 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 28 Mar. 2/5 It is odd, and a warning to obstinate striking masters and men, how commerce abhors a vacuum and quietly fills it up.
1904 Gunton's Mag. Jan. 25 Politics abhors a vacuum; where the good keeps out, the bad rushes in.
1973 Traditio 29 327 The medieval Latin dogma that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’..seems not to have derived directly from the works of Aristotle.
1998 C. R. Hunter Master Power Self-hypnosis v. 44 Because nature dislikes a vacuum, when I am trying to help a client change old habits I recommend replacing the undesired reaction with a new response.
2010 L. Malerba Green Med. ii. 47 Even if it were to be eradicated, nature abhors a vacuum, and the normal developmental role played by chicken pox in children's health would likely be replaced by some other viral illness for the immune system to cut its teeth on.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
vacuumv.
/ˈvakjuːm/, U.S. /ˈvækˌjum/ colloquial (originally U.S.).
transitive. To clean (a room, carpet, etc.), or to remove (dust, etc.) with a vacuum cleaner. Also figurative and absol. Occasionally intransitive for passive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > vacuum-clean [verb (transitive)]
vacuum-clean1912
vacuum1922
vac1942
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > vacuum-clean [verb (intransitive)]
vacuum1967
1922 Hotel World 25 Mar. 14/1 I have every room in the hotel vacuumed every week, furniture and all.
1934 in Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang.
1950 Sun (Baltimore) 28 Apr. 36/7 Apparently electrocuted when she stepped on a metal furnace grating while vacuuming the floor.
1959 Times 11 Feb. 12/6 Why could not..the whole establishment be dusted one day, vacuumed another, and so on?
1961 Time (Atlantic ed.) 20 Jan. 17 Her retentive mind vacuums odd details from the newspapers.
1967 D. Francis Blood Sport xv. 179 ‘He says the whole place is covered in flour.’..‘It'll vacuum quite easily, won't it?’
1974 J. Irving 158-Pound Marriage viii. 224 Together we vacuumed fragments from every crevice.
1978 M. Dickens Open Bk. xv. 141 In the living room, the carpet was so old, it came up in dusty shreds if you vacuumed.
1980 Daily Tel. 6 Feb. 18 Toads are hungry creatures: no-one better to vacuum a garden of slugs and other pests.
1985 Listener 21 Mar. 25/2 ‘Syd’..watered his milk, left fat on his lamb chops, and vacuumed when he was listening to symphonies on the radio.
Derivatives
ˈvacuuming n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > vacuum-cleaning > [noun]
vacuum-cleaning1902
vacuuming1953
1953 L. Kuper Living in Towns ii. 16 I try to do my vacuuming quickly.
1972 J. Porter Meddler & her Murder xii. 160 The lounge could do with the usual dusting and vacuuming.
1979 Tucson (Arizona) Mag. Apr. 62/3 One owner..has worked out his own vacuuming routine over the years.
1984 A. Brookner Hotel du Lac i. 14 After ten o'clock..all household noises had to be silenced; no vacuuming was heard.
Draft additions 1993
2. transferred (in Medical contexts).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatments removing or dispersing matter > remove or disperse [verb (transitive)] > remove by suction
vacuum1975
1975 R. H. Rimmer Premar Exper. (1976) i. 73 When I didn't get my period, the doctor vacuumed me.
1984 N.Y. Times 3 Dec. c13/5 Suction lipectomy, a process by which fat cells are vacuumed out of the body.
1989 Boston Globe 7 Oct. 21/1 Fat would be vacuumed from my thighs at great expense by a qualified physician.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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