vacation

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: va=ca=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

vacation, n. [F., fr. L. vacatio a being free from a duty, service, etc., fr. vacare. See Vacate.].

•  The act of vacating; a making void or of no force; as, the vacation of an office or a charter.  [1913 Webster]
•  Intermission of a stated employment, procedure, or office; a period of intermission; rest; leisure.  [1913 Webster]

  "It was not in his nature, however, at least till years had chastened it, to take any vacation from controversy."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

vacation, n. & v.
--n.
1 a fixed period of cessation from work, esp. in universities and lawcourts.
2 US a holiday.
3 the act of vacating (a house or post etc.).
--v.intr. US take a holiday.

Idiom

vacation land US an area providing attractions for holidaymakers.

Derivative

vacationer n. vacationist n.

Etymology

ME f. OF vacation or L vacatio (as VACATE)

THESAURUS

vacation

AWOL, Christmas, French leave, Sunday, abeyance, abolishment, abolition, abrogation, abscondence, absence, absence without leave, absentation, absenteeism, absenting, annulment, break, breathing space, caesura, cancel, canceling, cancellation, cassation, cease-fire, coffee break, countermand, counterorder, cut, day off, default, defeasance, departure, disappearance, downtime, drop, escape, excused absence, fleeing, furlough, go on furlough, go on leave, half time, half-time intermission, hesitation, holiday, hooky, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, invalidation, lapse, layoff, leave, leave of absence, leaving, letup, liberty, lull, make holiday, nonappearance, nonattendance, nullification, off-time, paid holiday, paid vacation, pause, plateau, point of repose, quiet spell, recall, recantation, recess, relief, remission, renege, repeal, rescinding, rescindment, rescission, respite, rest, resting point, retraction, reversal, revocation, revoke, revokement, running away, sabbatical, sabbatical leave, sabbatical year, setting aside, shore leave, sick leave, stand-down, stay, suspension, take a holiday, take leave, time off, time out, truancy, truantism, truce, unexcused absence, vacatur, voidance, voiding, waiver, waiving, weekend, withdrawal, write-off

ROGET THESAURUS

vacation

Repose

N repose, rest, silken repose, sleep, relaxation, breathing time, halt, stay, pause, respite, day of rest, dies non, Sabbath, Lord's day, holiday, red-letter day, vacation, recess, reposing, relaxed, unstrained, unstressed, at rest, The best of men have ever loved repose, to repair our nature with comforting repose.