Emptiness
/ˈɛmptinəs/noun
The state or condition of containing nothing or lacking meaning, feeling, or purpose.
Did you know?The ancestor of “empty” originally referred to being at leisure or unoccupied, so emotional emptiness preserves an old connection between having nothing inside and having nothing to do.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*amatijō
“A reconstructed ancestor associated with leisure or being unoccupied”
Old English
Old English
ǣmettig
“At leisure, unoccupied, or having nothing to do”
Old English
Old English
ǣmetta
“Leisure or free time; the noun from which the adjective developed”
Middle English
English
empti
“Empty, unoccupied, or containing nothing”
14th Century
English
empti + -nesse
“The condition or quality of being empty”
Modern English
English
emptiness
“The state of containing nothing, or of lacking emotional or spiritual substance”