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Added 9 October 2026

occupy

/ˈɒkjʊpaɪ/ verb

In Latin: teneo, possideo Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about occupy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To take or use. To fill.
The film occupied three hours of my time.
To fill.
The film occupied three hours of my time.
To possess or use the time or capacity of; to engage the service of.
The film occupied me for three hours.

Origin

From Middle English occupien, occupyen, borrowed from Old French occuper, from Latin occupāre (“to take possession of, seize, occupy, take up, employ”), from ob (“to, on”) + capiō (“to take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, grab”). Doublet of occupate, now obsolete.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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