vacancy, vacancie

[Fr. vacance, from Lat. vacans vacant (q. v.); Sp. & Port. vacancia, Ital. vacanza. ] 1. The quality or state of being vacant, empty, or unoccupied; as*(1) Emptine . (2) The state of being unoccupied or unfilled. "The vacancy of the throne being once established." Black stone: Comment., bk. i.; ch. 3. *(3) Freedom from employment; leisure, idlene . *(4) Listle ne ; emptine of thought. "All dispositions to idlene or vacancy , even before they are habits, are dangerous." - Wotton : Remains. as 2. That which is vacant, empty, or unoccupied; (1) Empty space; vacuity; outward space conveying no impre ion to the eye. "You do bend your eye on vacancy." Shakesp.: Hamlet , iii. 4. (2) A space between objects or things; an intermediate space, a gap, a chasm. "The reader finds a wide vacancy , and knows not how to transport his thoughts to the next particular, for want of some connecting idea."- Watts : Logic. *(3) An intermi ion; an interval of time not devoted to the ordinary duties or busine of life; hence, unoccupied or unemployed time; leisure, vacation, relaxation. "If, sometimes, each other's eyes we meet, Those little vacancies from toil are sweet." Dryden. ( Todd .) (4) An unoccupied, unfilled, or vacant post, pos i. tion, or office; a post, position, or office destitute of a person to fill it. "For. if the throne be at any time vacant, the right of disposing of this vacancy seems naturally to result to the Lords and Commons, the trustees and representatives of the nation."-Black stone: Comment . , bk. i., ch. 3. va-cant, *va-caunt, a . [Fr., from Lat. vacans , pr. par. of vaco =to be empty, to be devoid of something, to be at leisure; Sp., Port. & Ital. vacente .] I. Ordinary Language: 1. Having no contents; unfilled, empty, void. "Filling a space le vacant ." Words worth: Excursion, bk. iv. *2. Devoid, destitute, wanting. "Being of those virtues vacant." Shakesp.: Henry VIII., v. 1. 3. Not occupied or filled by an incumbent, po e or, or official; unoccupied. "The pope had accursed the English people, bicause they suffred the bishops' sees to be vacant so long a time." -Holinshed: Hist. England , bk. vi., ch. xviii. *4. Not engaged or occupied in busine or care; unemployed, unoccupied, leisure, free. "At such vacant times as they lie not in camp."- Spen ser: State of Ireland. 5. Free from thought; not given to thought, study, or reflection; thoughtle , listle . "With a body fill'd, and vacant mind." Shakesp.: Henry V., iv. 1. vaccination *3. To defeat; to put an end to. "He vacates my revenge." -Dryden. ( Todd .) va-ca-tion, *va-ca-ci-on, *va-ca-cy-on, subst . [French vacation , from Latin vacationem , acc us. of vacatio leisure, from vacatus , pa. par. of vaco to be vacant (q. v.); Sp. vacacion; Ital. vacazione.] 1. The act of vacating: (1) The act of leaving vacant or unoccupied; as, the vacation of an office. (2) The act of annulling; the act of making vacant, void, or of no validity; invalidation, abrogation. *2. Time not occupied or disposed of; leisure time. *3. A space of time or a condition in which there is an intermi ion of a stated employment or procedure; stated interval in a round of duties; intermi ion, rest. "Benefit of peace, quiet, and vacation for piety."Hammond: Fundamentals. 4. Hence specifically: (1) Temporary ce ation of judicial proceedings; the interval between the end of one term and the beginning of the next; rece , non-term. "As these clerks want not their full task of labor dur ing the open term, so there is for them whereupon to be occupied in the vacation only."-Bacon: Office of Aliena. tion. (2) The intermi ion or temporary ce ation of the regular studies of a college, school, or other educational institution, when the pupils have a rece ; holidays. 5. The time during which an office is vacant or unoccupied, especially the time during which a see or other spiritual dignity is vacant.