Occupacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person's regular trade, profession or means of earning a living ; the seizing and holding of a country, town or property by force
2. The work someone does to earn a living ; the taking and keeping control of a land or building by an armed power
3. One's paid line of work or calling ; the forcible act of taking possession of territory or premises and staying there

Etymology: "Occupacioun" is a Middle English spelling of "occupation," and it belonged to the medieval period when English spelling was not yet standardized. The word came into English from Old French "occupacion," which in turn derives from Latin "occupatio," a noun built on the verb "occupare," meaning "to seize" or "to take possession of." The Latin verb is itself a compound of "ob," meaning "against" or "towards," and "capere," meaning "to take," so the core sense is taking hold of something. In its earliest English uses, the word carried this literal idea of seizing or taking possession, especially of land or a place, and that legal sense of holding something is still visible in phrases about occupying a building or territory. The meaning gradually broadened to cover one's regular activity or employment, which is the sense modern English keeps. The spelling "occupacioun" reflects the French ending "-acion" with an English-style "-oun" written in place of the later "-ation."