Empty

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɛmp.ti/

Definitions

1. Containing nothing; having no contents or occupants inside
2. Devoid of any contents, this state indicates a complete absence of material or occupants
3. Lacking any substance, this condition implies the total absence of content or inhabitants within a given space

Etymology: The most surprising fact is that "empty" once meant "unmarried" and "at leisure" as much as "containing nothing." Its Old English ancestor, "ǣmtiġ," described someone free of obligation: a person without duties, a vacant space, an idle hour. The emptiness was of responsibility rather than of contents. The root lies in "ǣmetta," meaning "leisure," and the verb "mōtan," meaning "can" or "to be allowed." Built from "ūt" ("out") and a word for "must" or "obligation," the original sense was roughly "freed from what one must do." Over the Middle English centuries the meaning narrowed toward physical vacancy, so a room free of furniture or a cup free of wine came to define the word. A small curiosity is the "p" in the modern spelling. It is an inserted consonant, a euphonic addition from Middle English that eased pronunciation between "m" and "t," and it is why the spelling no longer matches the older "emty" and "amty" forms.

Synonyms: vacant, unfilled, devoid, clear, bare

Antonyms: full, occupied, filled, loaded, complete