Where does “vacationing” come from?
Vacationing comes from Middle English vacation, from Anglo-Norman vacacioun, from Old French vacation, from Latin vacatio meaning exemption or freedom, derived from the root h₁weh₂- meaning to be empty or free.
vacationing (English): present participle of vacation
Definitions
- present participle of vacation
Ancestry of “vacationing”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | vacation | Freedom from some business or activity; Free time... |
| 2 | Middle English | vacation | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | vacacioun | — |
| 4 | Old French | vacation | — |
| 5 | Latin | vacatio | freedom, exemption, immunity; privilege |
| 6 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 7 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 8 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 9 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 10 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 11 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 12 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |