Vacant
/ˈveɪ.kənt/noun
Empty or unoccupied; not filled by a person, thing, or thought.
Did you know?“Vacant” ultimately comes from Latin vacāre, “to be empty, be free,” a root that also gave English the eerie-sounding “vacuum,” so the word’s history is literally about absence as a state of being.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵ- / *wak-
“A proposed ancient root connected with being empty, free, or unoccupied.”
Latin
Latin
vacāre
“To be empty, free, or unoccupied.”
Latin
Latin
vacantem
“Present participle meaning empty, unoccupied, or free.”
Old French
Old French
vacant
“Empty, unoccupied, or available.”
Middle English
English
vacant
“Empty, unfilled, or not occupied.”
Modern English
English
vacant
“Empty or unoccupied; not filled by a person, thing, or thought.”