occupy

occupy
\ \ [14] Occupy comes via Anglo-Norman *occupier from Latin occupāreseize’, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix ob- and caperetake’ (source of English capture, chase, etc). In the 16th and 17th centuries it was used in English for ‘have sex (with)’ (‘as king Edwin occupied Alfgifa his concubine’, John Bale, English Votaries 1546), and fell temporarily out of ‘polite’ usage: as Doll Tearsheet complained in Shakespeare’s 2 Henry IV 1597, ‘A captain! God’s light, these villains will make the word ‘captain’ as odious as the word ‘occupy’, which was an excellent good word before it was ill sorted’.
\ \ Cf.CAPTIVE, CAPTURE, CHASE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Occupy D.C. — Occupy DC march of October 9, 2011 Occupy D.C. is a non partisan people s movement focused on spreading the ideas of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together in Washington, D.C.[1] The group has been demonstrating in McPherson Squa …   Wikipedia

  • occupy — oc‧cu‧py [ˈɒkjpaɪ ǁ ˈɑːk ] verb occupied PTandPP 1. [transitive] to use a particular building to live or work in: • a large computer company that occupies a building of some 60,000 sq ft occupier noun [countable] : • a tax payable by the… …   Financial and business terms

  • Occupy — Oc cu*py, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Occupied}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Occupying}.] [OE. occupien, F. occuper, fr.L. occupare; ob (see {Ob }) + a word akin to capere to take. See {Capacious}.] 1. To take or hold possession of; to hold or keep for use; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • occupy — I (engage) verb absorb, absorb the attention, absorb the mind, absorb the thoughts, address oneself to, amuse, apply oneself to, apply the attention to, apply the mind to, arrest the attention, attract the attention, attract the mind, attract the …   Law dictionary

  • Occupy — may refer to: Occupy movement, an international protest movement Occupation, referring either to a job or occupying a space See also All pages beginning with Occupy This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title …   Wikipedia

  • occupy — (v.) mid 14c., to take possession of, also to take up space or time, employ (someone), from O.Fr. occuper, from L. occupare take over, seize, possess, occupy, from ob over (see OB (Cf. ob )) + intensive form of capere to grasp, seize (see CAPABLE …   Etymology dictionary

  • occupy — [v1] be busy with absorb, amuse, attend, be active with, be concerned with, busy, divert, employ, engage, engross, entertain, fill, hold attention, immerse, interest, involve, keep busy, monopolize, preoccupy, soak, take up, tie up, utilize;… …   New thesaurus

  • Occupy — Oc cu*py, v. i. 1. To hold possession; to be an occupant. Occupy till I come. Luke xix. 13. [1913 Webster] 2. To follow business; to traffic. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • occupy — ► VERB (occupies, occupied) 1) live or have one s place of business in. 2) take control of (a place) by military conquest or settlement. 3) enter and stay in (a building) without authority. 4) fill or take up (a space, time or position). 5) keep… …   English terms dictionary

  • occupy — [äk′yo͞o pī΄, äk′yəpī΄] vt. occupied, occupying [ME occupien < OFr occuper < L occupare, to take possession of, possess < ob (see OB ) + capere, to seize: see HAVE] 1. to take possession of by settlement or seizure 2. to hold possession… …   English World dictionary

  • occupy — [[t]ɒ̱kjʊpaɪ[/t]] ♦♦ occupies, occupying, occupied 1) VERB The people who occupy a building or a place are the people who live or work there. [V n] There were over 40 tenants, all occupying one wing of the hospital... [V n] Land is, in most… …   English dictionary

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