Lewis & Short

văco, āvi, ātum, 1 (perf. vacui, Tert. Pall. 4; id. Pud. 8 fin.; id. adv. Val. 9), v. n. [etym. dub.], to be empty, void, or vacant; to be void of, or without; not to contain (class.; cf.: careo, egeo).

  1. I. In gen.
    1. A. Lit., of space, etc.
      1. 1. Absol.: quācumque vacat spatium, quod inane vocamus, Lucr. 1, 507; so, spatium, id. 2, 1053; 6, 1029: inane, id. 1, 520: villa ita completa militibus est, ut vix triclinium … vacaret, Cic. Att. 13, 52, 1: tota domus superior vacat, id. ib. 13, 12, 10: aedes, Plaut. Cas. 3, 1, 7: maximam putant esse laudem, quam latissime a suis finibus vacare agros, to be uninhabited, uncultivated, Caes. B. G. 4, 3: locus, id. ib. 1, 28; Quint. 8, 6, 18; 9, 4, 118; 10, 3, 33: ostia septem Pulverulenta vacant, septem sine flumine valles, Ov. M. 2, 256: odi cum late splendida cera vacat, id. Am. 1, 11, 20: haec fiunt dum vacat harena, Sen. Ep. 7, 4.
      2. 2. With abl. (so most freq.): illa natura caelestis et terra vacat et umore, Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 65; cf. id. N. D. 2, 24, 64: mens vacans corpore, id. ib. 1, 10, 25: hoste vacare domos, Verg. A. 3, 123: (domus) quae Igne vacet, Ov. M. 2, 764: custode vacans, id. ib. 2, 422: ora vacent epulis, i. e. abstain from, id. ib. 15, 478: ea pars oppidi, quae fluminis circuitu vacabat, Auct. B. G. 8, 41.
      3. 3. With ab: haec a custodiis classium loca maxime vacabant, Caes. B. C. 3, 25.
    2. B. Transf., to be vacant. free from, without, unoccupied, etc.
      1. 1. With abl.: ejusmodi (nimiis animi) motibus sermo debet vacare, Cic. Off. 1, 38, 136: nulla vitae pars vacare officio potest, id. ib. 1, 2, 4: omni curatione et administratione rerum (dii), id. N. D. 1, 1, 2: studiis, id. de Or. 3, 11, 43: curā et negotio, id. Leg. 1, 3, 8: vitio, id. ib. 3, 3, 10: culpā, id. Fam. 7, 3, 4: criminibus, Quint. 10, 1, 34: febri, Cels. 2, 14 med.: morbis, Dig. 21, 1, 53: amplitudo animi pulchrior, si vacet populo, keeps free from, remains aloof from, Cic. Tusc. 2, 26, 64: respublica et milite illic et pecuniā vacet, be free from the necessity of furnishing, Liv. 2, 48, 9.
      2. 2. With ab and abl.: nullum tempus illi umquam vacabat aut a forensi dictione aut a scribendo, Cic. Brut. 78, 272: (rex) quicquid a bellis populi Romani vacabat, cum hominibus nostris consuetudines jungebat, id. Deiot. 9, 27: a publico officio et munere, id. Div. 2, 2, 7: ab opere (milites), Caes. B. C. 3, 76: ne quando a metu ac periculis vacarent, Liv. 7, 1: vacant ab imbecillis valetudinaria, Col. 12, 3, 8: a culpā, Sen. Ep. 97, 1: a periculo, id. Q. N. 6, 1, 1: a negotiis, Phaedr. 3 prol.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. To be free from labor, not busied, idle, at leisure; to have leisure or time: quamvis occupatus sis, otii tamen plus habes: aut, si ne tu quidem vacas, noli, etc., Cic. Fam. 12, 30, 1; cf. Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 13, 1; Quint. 10, 3, 27: festus in pratis vacat otioso Cum bove pagus, Hor. C. 3, 18, 11: si vacabis, Cic. Att. 12, 38, 2: si forte vacas, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 95.
      1. 2. After the Aug. per. esp. freq.
        1. a. Vacare alicui rei, to be free to attend, apply, or devote one’s self to something; to have leisure or time for a thing (cf. studeo): philosophiae, Quinte, semper vaco, Cic. Div. 1, 6, 10: in itinere, quasi solutus ceteris curis, huic uni vacaret, Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 15: huic uni negotio vacare, Vell. 2, 114, 1: ille non vacasse sermoni suo regem causatus discessit, Curt. 6, 7, 21: paulum etiam palaestricis, Quint. 1, 11, 15: studio operis pulcherrimi, id. 12, 1, 4: foro, id. 10, 1, 114: clientium negotiis, Tac. A. 16, 22: non discendo tantum juri, sed etiam docendo, Quint. 12, 1, 10: libellis legendis ac rescribendis, Suet. Aug. 45: queruntur de superiorum fastidio, quod ipsis adire volentibus non vacaverint, have no leisure for them, can not attend to them, Sen. Brev. Vit. 2, 5.
          Rarely absol.: dum perago tecum pauca sed apta, vaca, Ov. Am. 2, 2, 2.
        2. b. Vacare ad aliquid: non vaco ad istas ineptias, Sen. Ep. 49, 9; cf. (poet.): in grande opus, Ov. P. 3, 3, 36; also, with inf.: sternere acies, Stat. Th. 8, 185.
        3. c. Vacat (alicui), impers., there is time, room, or leisure for a thing (poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
          1. (α) With inf. (so most freq.): si primā repetens ab origine pergam Et vacet annales nostrorum audire laborum, Verg. A. 1, 373: tunc et elegiam vacabit in manus sumere, Quint. 10, 1, 58: non vacabit incohare haec studia, id. 1, 12, 12: hactenus indulsisse vacat, it is permitted, i. q. licet, Verg. A. 10, 625 Heyne; imitated by Sil. 17, 374.
          2. (β) With dat., I (thou, he, etc.) have leisure or time for a thing: nobis venari nec vacat nec libet, Plin. Ep. 9, 16, 1: non vacat exiguis rebus adesse Jovi, Ov. Tr. 2, 216: nec nostris praebere vacet tibi cantibus aures, id. M. 5, 334: obstat enim diligentiae scribendi etiam fatigatio et abunde, si vacet, lucis spatia sufficiunt, Quint. 10, 3, 27: cui esse diserto vacet, id. 11, 1, 50: quo magis te, cui vacat, hortor, etc., Plin. Ep. 1, 10, 11; 8, 15, 1; Curt. 10, 10, 12; Vell. 1, 15, 1; 2, 124, 1.
            Absol.: teneri properentur amores, Dum vacat, Ov. Am. 3, 1, 70: si vacat, Juv. 1, 21.
    2. B. Of possessions, lands, etc., to be unoccupied, vacant, ownerless: cum agri Ligustini … aliquantum vacaret, senatūs consultum est factum, ut is ager viritim divideretur, Liv. 42, 4, 3: fundi possessionem nancisci, quae ex neglegentiā domini vacat, Dig. 41, 3, 37: si nemo sit, bona vacabunt, ib. 38, 7, 2 fin.
      1. 2. Esp., of offices, relations, positions, employments, etc., to be vacant, without incumbent, etc.: si Piso adesset, nullius philosophiae vacaret locus, Cic. N. D. 1, 7, 16: quid enim nostrā victum esse Antonium, si victus est, ut alii vacaret, quod ille obtinuit? may stand open, Brut. ap. Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 17, 6: rogo ut Suram praeturā exornare digneris, cuia locus vacet, Plin. Ep. 10, 12 (7), 1: rogo dignitati … vel auguratum vel septemviratum, quia vacant, adicere digneris, id. ib. 10, 13 (8).
        Hence, văcans, antis, P. a.
    1. A. Empty, unoccupied, without an owner, vacant: locus, Sen. Cons. ad Marc. 16, 8: metaphora … vacantem locum occupare debet, Quint. 8, 6, 18: regnum, Just. 42, 4, 2; 25, 2, 4; 27, 3, 1: saltus, Verg. G. 3, 477: balneae, Tac. H. 3, 11: bona, Dig. 30, 1, 93; 30, 1, 111.
      Subst.: văcantia, ĭum, n., vacant estates, property without an owner: ut, si a privilegiis parentum cessaretur, velut parens omnium populus vacantia teneret, Tac. A. 3, 28.
    2. B. Of women, single, unmarried, without a husband: qui vacantem mulierem rapuit vel nuptam, Dig. 48, 6, 5; Quint. Decl. 262 (cf. vacua, Ov. H. 20, 149).
    3. C. Of persons, at leisure, unoccupied, idle: nec petiit animum vacantem, Ov. M. 9, 612.
      Subst.: văcantĭa, ĭum, n., that which is superfluous, useless (post-class.): vacantia ex quāque re ac non necessariā auferre et excidere, Gell. 6, 5, 6.
      Hence, adv.: vă-canter, superfluously, Gell. 17, 10, 16.