unoccupied

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + occupied,^[2][3][4][5] in Middle English unoccupied, also spelled unocupied,^[6] from the past participle of occupy.^[6][2][7] The OED notes that it is recorded earlier than the adjective without the prefix.^[7] The verb is from Old French occuper or directly from Latin occupō (“to seize, take possession of”), formed from ob- (“over”) and capiō (“to grasp, seize”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not engaged in any work or activity, idle: about 1390, in Chaucer's Tale of Melibee, which urges good deeds so that the devil does not find one "vnocupied".^[7][6][5] Chaucer used the word once.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is idleness, and the Middle English Dictionary also has out of work and inattentive.^[6][5] In the 15th century it was used of places: of land unused or uncultivated, of a seat in Parliament with no holder (1425, in the Rolls of Parliament), and of a house with no one living in it.^[6][7][5] From about 1439, in Lydgate, it was used of time or things left unused.^[7][6] Johnson (1755) defined it simply as "unpossessed".^[9] From 1599 it could describe immaterial things not filled, such as a person's thoughts.^[7] The military sense, of territory not under enemy occupation, is recorded from 1829,^[7] and Etymonline notes its use by 1940 for the part of France not under German military occupation.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1390 – idle, not engaged in any activity.^[7][6]
• 1425 – of a place, empty, not in use; of a seat in Parliament, vacant.^[7][5]
• c. 1439 – of time or things, not put to use.^[7]
• 1599 – of an immaterial thing, not filled.^[7]
• 1829 – of territory, not under military occupation.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a building, room or seat: with nobody in it; empty or vacant: Half the offices on the top floor are unoccupied.^[10][3][7]
2. Of premises: with no one living there although the furniture is still in place.^[3]
3. Of a country or area: not under the control of foreign or enemy troops.^[10][3][7]
4. Not busy; idle; also, without work.^[10][3][7]
5. Of time or a thing: not put to use.^[7][6]

Related words

• occupy
• occupied
• occupation
• occupant
• preoccupied

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Benson, Larry D., Glossarial Concordance to Middle English (Chaucer, Gower), Johns Hopkins University, github.com/jhu-digital-manuscripts/gcme
9. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins