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Origin and history of vacation

vacation(n.)

late 14c., vacacioun, "freedom from obligations, leisure, release" (from some activity or occupation), from Old French vacacion "vacancy, vacant position" (14c.) and directly from Latin vacationem (nominative vacatio) "leisure, freedom, exemption, a being free from duty, immunity earned by service," noun of state from past-participle stem of vacare "be empty, free, or at leisure" (from extended form of PIE root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out").

The meanings "state of being unoccupied," "process of vacating" in English are attested by early 15c. The meaning "formal suspension of activity; time in which there is an intermission of usual employment" (in reference to schools, law courts, etc.) is recorded from mid-15c. As the U.S. equivalent of what in Britain is called a holiday, it is attested from 1878. Vacation home is by 1969.

vacation(v.)

1866, from vacation (n.). Related: Vacationed; vacationing.

also from 1866

Entries linking to vacation

holiday(n.)

1500s, earlier halidai (c. 1200, late 12c. as a surname), from Old English haligdæg "holy day, Christian festival, day consecrated to religious observance, religious anniversary; Sabbath," from halig "holy" (see holy) + dæg "day" (see day (n.)).

In 14c. meaning both "religious festival" and "day of exemption from labor and recreation," pronunciation and sense diverged 16c. The latter sense was extended to "an occasion of joy and gaiety." As an adjective by mid-15c., "of, belonging to, or used on a holiday."

Compare holimonth, used in 1862 for "month of recreation or abstinence from work" (based on holiday), while Old English equivalent haligmonath was equivalent to our September and meant "holy month," a name "app(arently) of heathen origin" [OED 1989].

Also holinight, used early 13c. (hali niht) in Ancrene Riwle, a guide book for female religious recluses, "night kept holy," by prayers, lessons, and devotions, a sense different from that in Keats's "holinight Of fragrant-curtain'd love."

Happy holidays is from mid-19c., in British English, with reference to summer vacation from school. As a Christmastime greeting by 1937, American English, in Camel cigarette ads.

staycation(n.)

also stay-cation, 2008, American English, a word from the "Great Recession" of that year, from stay (v.1) + ending from vacation.

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abrogation
"annulling of (a law) by legislative action," 1530s, from Latin abrogationem (nominative abrogatio) "a repeal (of a law)," noun of action from past-participle stem of abrogare "annul, repeal," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + rogare "propose (a law), ask, request," apparently
honeymoon
"indefinite period of tenderness and pleasure experienced by a newly wed couple," 1540s (hony moone), but probably older, from honey (n.) in reference to the new marriage's sweetness, and moon (n.) "month" in reference to how long it probably will last, or from the changing aspec
pass
late 13c., passen (transitive), "to go by (something)," also "to cross over," from Old French passer "to pass" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *passare "to step, walk, pass" (source also of Spanish pasar, Italian passare), from Latin passus "step, pace" (from PIE root *pete- "to spread
picnic
1748 (in Chesterfield's "Letters"), but the thing itself apparently was rare before c. 1800 as an English institution [OED]; it originally meant "a fashionable social affair (not necessarily out of doors) in which every partaker contributed something to the general table;" from F
spend
"to pay out or away, deprive oneself of" (money, wealth), Middle English spenden, from Old English -spendan (in forspendan "use up"), from Medieval Latin spendere, a shortening of Latin expendere "to weigh out money, pay down" (see expend) or possibly of dispendere "to pay out" (
leisure
c. 1300, leisir, "free time, time at one's disposal," also (early 14c.) "opportunity to do something, chance, occasion, an opportune time," also "lack of hurry," from Old French leisir, variant of loisir "capacity, ability, freedom (to do something); permission; spare time; free
render
late 14c., rendren, rendre, "repeat, say again, recite; translate," from Old French rendre "give back, present, yield" (10c.) and Medieval Latin rendere, from Vulgar Latin *rendere, a variant of Latin reddere "give back, return, restore," from red- "back" (see re-) + combining fo
discipline
c. 1200, "penitential chastisement; punishment for the sake of correction," from Old French descepline "discipline, physical punishment; teaching; suffering; martyrdom" (11c., Modern French discipline) and directly from Latin disciplina "instruction given, teaching, learning, kno
patriot
1590s, "compatriot," from French patriote (15c.) and directly from Late Latin patriota "fellow-countryman" (6c.), from Greek patriotes "fellow countryman," from patrios "of one's fathers," patris "fatherland," from pater (genitive patros) "father" (see father (n.)); with -otes, s
zone
late 14c., from Latin zona "geographical belt, celestial zone," from Greek zōnē "a belt, the girdle worn by women at the hips," from zōnnynai "to gird," from PIE root *yos- "to gird" (source also of Avestan yasta- "girt," Lithuanian juosiu, juosti "to gird," Old Church Slavonic p

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