Middle English Dictionary Entry
vacaunt adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | vacaunt adj. Also vacant(e, vacand, (N) wacone; pl. vacauntz, vacantz, vacauns, vacans. |
| Etymology | OF vacant, vacante, AF vacaunt & L vacans, -antis (ppl. of vacāre). Senses 1.(e) and perh. (d) may have been influenced by, or be errors for, ME vagaunt adj.; cp. vagabond n. & adj., which have forms with both -g- and -c-. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Unoccupied, empty; uninhabited, tenantless; also in fig. context [last quot.];
(b) ~ of (from), lacking in (sth.), free of; also in fig. context [last quot.];
(c) of time: unfilled by duties, given to leisure, free;
(d) ?of the earth: idle, unprofitable [perh. error for (e) through misinterpretation of cpd. adj. phrase];
(e) of a person: homeless, destitute; also, vagrant, shiftless.
Associated quotations
a
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)507 : Vacavnt, not occupyyd: Vacans.
- a1450(1424) Ordin.Whittington113 : Ye conservators of ye seid house vj other tymes of vacacion of ye same place…so being vacant…shall provide…that tyme to returne ayeen to the maistre of the seid College.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4774 : Fra it droȝe to þe derke ay till it dawid eftir, It was bot vacant & voide.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)418/4 : The forsaid abbesse and couente…warantized for euer all the forsaid halle I-called Shiphalle, with the forsaid vacante place of lond.
- a1480(c1450) Barlaam (2) (Peterh 257)45/1607 : Whan an vnclene spyrite goth out of a man by grace of bapteem…he seith: ‘Y shal turne aȝen into þat hous þat Y come fro,’ And whan he comyth, he fynte it clene swept and arayde, þat is to seyn, wyde and vacante, þat haþ nat takyn þe workis of grace.
b
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4665 : All be we suggets in oure-selfe & simpill oure latis, Voide & vacand of vices as virgyns it ware, Neuir-þe-les of a laȝe hald we vs driȝtins.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4979 : Þai fande a ferly faire tre quare-on na frute groued…void of all hire verdure & vacant of leues.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)1.341 : That londe was vacante from inhabitatores [Trev.Higd.: lefte voyde; L vacua mansit] by ijc yere foloenge.
- a1500 Imit.Chr.(Dub 678)101/14 : If þe state of þe herte be vacant of a riȝt fundement, þat is, but if þou stande in me, þou maist wel chaunge.
c
- (1451) Capgr.St.Gilb.(Add 36704)61/21 : Solitarye women of ȝour religion…may at vacaunt tymes red in þis book þe grete vertues of her maystyr.
- a1500 Imit.Chr.(Dub 678)23/1 : Yf þere be vacant tyme, ȝelde þe to þiself as þy deuocion desiriþ.
d
- a1475 Adam & E.(3) (Hrl 4775)359/52 : Þou shalt be cursed on the erthe…whan thou werchist, the erthe shalle nat yeue to the his frute but be vacaunt, and ferre fugitiff thou shalt be on the erthe [Wht: he schal not ȝeue to þee hyse fruytis; vagaunt and fer fugytif þou schalt be] alle the daies of thi life.
e
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.776 : To enhabite þis royal chef cite, Kyng Priam haþ…I-gadred out of al maner ages, And of thropis folkys ful diuers, And swiche as wern vacaunt & dispers, Aboute Troye.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)4.901 : This tiraunt, vacaunt, wente in veyn Aboute the world as a fals fugityff.
- c1500(a1449) Lydg.Aesop (Trin-C R.3.19)125 : Thus idylnes causeþ robry In vacant [vr. In vagabundis peple] pepyll, þat to and fro dyd wende.
2.
Of an episcopal see, ecclesiastical or curial office, a benefice, etc.: without an incumbent, open, unfilled; ~ and voide, voide and (or) ~; ~ of, without (a prelate); also, of a realm: lacking (a king).
Associated quotations
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)72/51 : Þe bischopriche of wiricestre vacaunt was and lere.
- c1300 SLeg.Becket (Hrl 2277)p.29 : Bischopriches and abbeyes also, That vacantz [Corp-C: vacans; Ld: voyde] were of prelatz, in kinges hond were ido.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)9697 : Bissopriches & abbeies al so, Þat vacauns were of prelas, in þe kinges hond were ido.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.143 : He hilde hym stille unto þe tyme þat a bisshopriche was vacant.
- c1400 Brut-1333 (Rwl B.171)164/1 : We byndeþ vs and al þat comen after vs…to þe Pope, & eke þe ward of cherchez vacauntz.
- ?a1425(a1400) Brut-1377 (Corp-C 174)328/8 : Beyng ȝet void & vacaunt [vr. vacaunt & void] þe Erchebisshop of Caunterbury, Maister Symound Sudbury…was made Erchebisshop.
- (a1436) Let.in Burton Hemingbrough392 : Ya fyfte vicary in ȝor colleg kyrke of Hemmyngburgh es wacone…for Syr John Roklyff, yt vas wycar of ye forsaid wycary, is institute & inducte in a chantery in Hull.
- ?c1450(?a1400) Wycl.Clergy HP (Lamb 551)393 : Þe clerkis han many grete & smale perquisitiuys þe whiche smachen of symony and extorcion; as þe first fruytis of vacant beneficis, prouynge of testamentis…& fulle many mo.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)87/11 : Whan þe popes sete was vacaunt, for hir cunnyng and hir fame þei chose hir pope.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)2.109 : Northumbrelonde was vacante [Higd.(1): was voyde wiþoute kyng; L vacavit sine rege] of a kynge viijthe yeres.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)4.381 : Herodes Agrippa…wente to Rome…that he myȝhte haue reioycede an oþer tetrarchye, beenge vacante þat tyme.
- c1475 3 Consid.(UC 85)203 : Whanne…any suche office was voide or vacaunt, there was oft tymes made unto him greet meenye and prayere for preferrement of the seid office.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 ?Scrope Ribot First Monks (Lamb 192)136/2 : Ȝe ascendyn to the myrrowr of God; þerto be vacant to heuynly contemplacyons and ther ȝe take vpon ȝow to fytth and wrestel aȝens the cursyd spyrytes.
Note: Ed.: "'vacant to' that is, 'free to devote yourselves to...'
Note: New sense.
Note: Cf. OED vacant, adj. sense 4d. "At leisure to devote oneself to some object". Recorded in 1631.