empty
/ˈɛm(p).ti/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.59 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Containing no elements (as of a string, array, or set), opposed to being null (having no valid value).
adj
Having nothing to carry, emptyhanded; unburdened.
adj
Destitute of reality, or real existence; unsubstantial.
Example Sentences
- "an empty purse"
- "an empty jug"
- "an empty stomach"
- "[…] something in the little man's appearance suggested that he would be sufficiently attentive to his own comfort to choose the emptiest table."
- "[…] San Sebastian Church was desolate in the courtyard; emptier, lonelier inside with its pews stretched out like fallen pylons varnished by dolorous residue. From each candlelit nook stared in stony despair one after another saint, regal and rueful: proffering forgiveness, peace, a todo."
- "United's stature is such that one result must not bring the immediate announcement of a shift in the balance of power in Manchester - but the swathes of empty seats around Old Trafford and the wave of attacks pouring towards David de Gea's goal in the second half emphasised that City quite simply have greater firepower and talent in their squad at present."
Etymology
From Middle English emty, amty, from Old English ǣmtiġ, ǣmettiġ (“vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried”, literally “without must or obligation, leisurely”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”) + Proto-Germanic *mōtijô, *mōtô (“must, obligation, need”), *mōtiþô (“ability, accommodation”), from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“measure; to acquire, possess, be in command”). Related to Old English ġeǣmtigian (“to empty”), ǣmetta (“leisure”), mōtan (“can, to be allowed”). More at mote, meet. The interconsonantal excrescent p is a euphonic insertion dating from Middle English.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɛm(p).ti/
- British English: /ˈɛm(p).ti/