Wordwyrt

empty

/ˈempti/EMP-tee
/ˈɛmpti/EMP-tee

Meaningat leisure, unoccupied

Common meaning: containing nothing

Journey through time

  1. Old Englishæmtig‘vacant, empty, free, idle’sourceB&T
  2. Middle Englishemptisource
  3. Englishempty‘containing nothing’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English æmtig ‘at leisure, unoccupied’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry EMPTY, p. 189 · dictionary scan; Bosworth & Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entry emtig, p. 17 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • æmtig Old English “at leisure, unoccupied”

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