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Where does the word "vacuum" come from? It comes from Latin vacuus, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "vacuum" come from? It comes from Latin vacuus, and was adopted directly into English (1550s).
Vacuum’s story begins in Latin: vacuus meant “empty.” Empty, unoccupied. It reached English by 1550s as vacuum. Torricelli created a vacuum in his barometer in 1643. Today, vacuum means a space entirely devoid of matter, or a device that creates suction.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient vacuus "empty", empty, unoccupied.
- Stage 2 · English · 1550s vacuum "a space devoid of matter", Torricelli created a vacuum in his barometer in 1643.