vacation

See also: VACation

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English vacation, vacacion, vacacioun, from Anglo-Norman vacacioun, from Old French vacacion, vacation, from Latin vacātiō. Equivalent to vacate +‎ -ion.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vəˈkeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/, /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/
• (General American) enPR: vā-kā′shən, və-, IPA^(key): /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, /vəˈkeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən, -eɪʃn
• Hyphenation: va‧ca‧tion

Noun

vacation (countable and uncountable, plural vacations)

1. Freedom from some business or activity. [from 14th c.]
2. (obsolete) Free time given over to a specific purpose; occupation, activity. [15th–17th c.]
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 28, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     The first exploited his, sundrie waies, and excelleth in military exploits, and utilitie of his publike vacations.

3. A period during which official activity or business is formally suspended; an official holiday from university, law courts etc. [from 15th c.]
4. A stretch of leisure time away from work or duty and devoted to rest or pleasure. [from 19th c.]
5. An extended period of time away from work or school.

   Schoolchildren are on vacation this week.

6. The act of vacating something; moving out. [from 19th c.]

   The Conservative Party’s vacation of the centre ground gave an opportunity to its opponents.

7. (US, law) The act of making legally void.

Synonyms

• (freedom from some activity): holiday (Commonwealth)
• (free time given over to a specific purpose): annulment, revocation
• (a stretch of leisure time away from work): holiday (Commonwealth); see also Thesaurus:vacation
• (act of vacating something): departure, moveout

Derived terms

• adventurecation
• baecation
• come on vacation, leave on probation
• coolcation
• daycation
• gaycation
• girlcation
• grippy socks vacation
• grippy sock vacation
• haycation
• homecation
• ladycation
• long vacation
• mancation
• microvacation
• minivacation
• naycation
• nearcation
• nonvacation
• postvacation
• prevacation
• racecation
• recation
• sexcation
• sleepcation
• staycation
• summer vacation
• vacation day
• vacationer
• vacationgoer
• vacation home
• vacationist
• Vacationland
• vacationland
• vacationless
• vacationship
• vacation time
• vaca, vacay
• workcation

Translations

freedom from some business or activity

Bulgarian: вака́нция (bg) f (vakáncija) Czech: prázdniny (cs) f pl French: vacances (fr) f or pl Hungarian: szünet (hu) Latin: cessātiō f Portuguese: férias (pt)

official holiday period

Belarusian: кані́кулы f pl (kaníkuly) Bulgarian: вака́нция (bg) f (vakáncija) Catalan: vacança (ca) f Danish: ferie (da) c Estonian: puhkus Finnish: loma (fi) French: vacances (fr) f or pl Georgian: არდადეგები (ardadegebi) German: Ferien (de) f pl Hebrew: חופשה \ חֻפְשָׁה (he) f (khufshá) Hungarian: szabadság (hu), munkaszünet (hu), pihenőidő (hu) Italian: vacanza (it) f, feria (it) f Latin: fēriae f pl Macedonian: распуст m (raspust) Portuguese: feriado (pt), féria (pt) f Russian: кани́кулы (ru) f pl (kaníkuly) Sorbian: Lower Sorbian: prozniny pl, ferije pl Spanish: vacación (es) f, feriado (es) m Swedish: lov (sv) n (schools and universities), ferie (sv) c (schools) Ukrainian: кані́кули f pl (kaníkuly) Vietnamese: nghỉ lễ

period of leisure time

Albanian: pushim (sq) m Arabic: عُطْلَة f (ʕuṭla), إِجَازَة f (ʔijāza) Hijazi Arabic: إجازة f (ʔijāza) Armenian: արձակուրդ (hy) (arjakurd) Azerbaijani: məzuniyyət (az) pl, tətil (az) Basque: opor Belarusian: адпачы́нак m (adpačýnak), во́дпуск m (vódpusk), кані́кулы f pl (kaníkuly) (students, MP's) Bulgarian: вака́нция (bg) f (vakáncija), о́тпуска (bg) f (ótpuska), о́тпуск (bg) m (ótpusk) Burmese: အားလပ်ရက် (a:lap-rak), အလုပ်ပိတ်ရက် (my) (a.luppitrak) Cherokee: ᎤᎾᏦᏪᏐᎸᏍᏛ (unatsowesolvsdv) Chinese: Cantonese: 假期 (gaa3 kei4) Mandarin: 假期 (zh) (jiàqī) Czech: prázdniny (cs) f pl (at school), dovolená (cs) f (at work), dovolená (cs) f Danish: ferie (da) c Dutch: vakantie (nl) f Esperanto: libertempo Estonian: puhkus Finnish: loma (fi), vapaapäivä (fi) French: vacances (fr) f or pl Galician: vacacións f pl Georgian: არდადეგები (ardadegebi) German: Ferien (de) f pl, Urlaub (de) m Greek: διακοπές (el) f pl (diakopés) Hebrew: חופש \ חֹפֶשׁ (he) m (khófesh) Hindi: छुट्टी (hi) f (chuṭṭī) Hungarian: szabadság (hu), vakáció (hu), szünidő (hu), nyaralás (hu) Icelandic: frí (is) n Ido: vakanco (io) Interlingua: vacantia Italian: vacanza (it) f Japanese: 休暇 (ja) (きゅうか, kyūka), 休み (ja) (やすみ, yasumi), バカンス (ja) (bakansu), ヴァカンス (vakansu), バケーション (ja) (bakēshon) Kazakh: демалыс (demalys) Khmer: រហែ (km) (rɔhae), ល្ហែ (km) (lhae) Korean: 휴가(休暇) (ko) (hyuga) Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: betlane (ku), tatîl (ku) Kyrgyz: отпуск (ky) (otpusk), дем алыш (ky) (dem alış) Ladino: vakansas Lao: ຍາມພັກ (nyām phak), ມື້ພັກ (lo) (mư̄ phak) Latin: cessātiō, fēriae f pl Latvian: brīvdiena f Lithuanian: atóstogos (lt) f Macedonian: одмор (mk) m (odmor) Malay: cuti (ms) Maltese: vaganza, btala, vaganza, btala Mongolian: Cyrillic: амралт (mn) (amralt) Norwegian: Bokmål: ferie (no) m Nynorsk: ferie m Persian: Iranian Persian: تَعْطیل (ta'til), تَعْطیلات (ta'tilât) Plautdietsch: Vakassion m Polish: wakacje (pl) pl Portuguese: férias (pt) f pl, vacação (pt) f, tolerância (pt) Quechua: samay pacha Romanian: vacanță (ro) f Russian: о́тпуск (ru) m (ótpusk), (students, MP's) кани́кулы (ru) f pl (kaníkuly), (short, may be unpaid) отгу́л (ru) m (otgúl) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: ра́спуст m, о̀дмор m, фе̑рије f pl, пра̑знӣк m Roman: ráspust (sh) m, òdmor (sh) m, fȇrije (sh) f pl, prȃznīk (sh) m Slovak: dovolenka f Slovene: dopust m, počitnice f pl Sorbian: Lower Sorbian: prozniny pl, ferije pl, dowol m Spanish: vacaciones (es) f pl, vacación (es) f Swedish: semester (sv) c, ledighet (sv) c Tajik: таътил (tg) (ta'til) Thai: วันหยุด (th) (wan-yùt) Tibetan: གུང་གསེང (gung gseng) Turkish: tatil (tr) Turkmen: dynç alyş, kanikul (students) Ukrainian: відпу́стка f (vidpústka), кані́кули f pl (kaníkuly) (students, MP's) Urdu: چُھٹّی f (chuṭṭī), تَعْطِیل f (ta'tīl), تَعْطِیلات f pl (ta'tīlāt) Uyghur: دەم ئېلىش (dem ëlish) Uzbek: otpuska (uz), dam olish, taʻtil Vietnamese: kì nghỉ Yiddish: וואַקאַציע f (vakatsye)

the act of vacating something; moving out of something

Bulgarian: опра́зване (bg) n (oprázvane), освобожда́ване (bg) n (osvoboždávane) Danish: fratrædelse c, fraflytning c Estonian: vabastamine Finnish: tyhjentäminen (fi), hylkääminen (fi), jättäminen (fi), poismuutto, lähtö (fi) Georgian: გათავისუფლება (gatavisupleba) German: Preisgabe (de) f Hungarian: kiürítés (hu), kiköltözés (hu), (becoming or being vacant) megüresedés (hu), üresedés (hu), betöltetlenség Macedonian: испразнување n (ispraznuvanje), ослободување n (osloboduvanje), оставање n (ostavanje) Ottoman Turkish: تخلیه (tahliye) Portuguese: vacação (pt) f, vagação f, vacatura (pt) f, vagatura f Russian: освобожде́ние (ru) n (osvoboždénije), оставле́ние (ru) n (ostavlénije) Spanish: vacación (es) f (rare), vacatura f

the act of making legally void

Estonian: tühistamine, annuleerimine Finnish: mitätöinti (fi) Georgian: გაუქმება (gaukmeba) German: Annullierung (de) f Hungarian: érvénytelenítés (hu), megsemmisítés (hu), hatályon kívül helyezés Japanese: 休廷 (きゅうてい, kyūtei) Macedonian: поништување n (poništuvanje) Romanian: anulare (ro), golire (ro) Russian: отме́на (ru) f (otména)

Verb

vacation (third-person singular simple present vacations, present participle vacationing, simple past and past participle vacationed)

1. (intransitive) To spend or take a vacation.

   This year, we’re vacationing in Mexico.

Synonyms

• (UK) go on holiday
• go on vacation
• holiday

Translations

to spend or take a vacation

Catalan: fer vacances Danish: tage på ferie, holde ferie Dutch: op vakantie gaan Esperanto: ferii Finnish: lomailla (fi); viettää lomaa (spend a vacation), viettää loma (spend a vacation completely) French: aller en vacances Galician: ir de vacacións German: Urlaub machen, Ferien machen Hungarian: szabadságra megy, szabadságot vesz ki, szabadságát tölti, vakációzik (hu), nyaral (hu), üdül (hu) Icelandic: fara í frí Irish: dul ar saoire Italian: andare in vacanza Japanese: 休暇を取る (ja) (kyūka o toru), 休みを取る (ja) (yasumi o toru) Macedonian: о́дмора (ódmora), ко́ристи го́дишен о́дмор (kóristi gódišen ódmor) Polish: wczasować się impf Portuguese: sair de férias Russian: проводи́ть о́тпуск (provodítʹ ótpusk), провести́ о́тпуск (provestí ótpusk) Spanish: vacacionar (es) Swedish: semestra (sv) Vietnamese: đi nghỉ, nghỉ mát (vi) Welsh: mynd ar wyliau

Related terms

• vacate

Anagrams

• Octavian

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.ka.sjɔ̃/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: va‧ca‧tion

Noun

vacation f (plural vacations)

1. (law) session (clarification of this definition is needed)

Further reading

• “vacation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.