English word origin

Etymology of vacay

Clipping of vacation, with -y to clarify pronunciation. Compare cray (“crazy”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

A vacation.

verb

To vacation (to spend or take a vacation).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of vacation, with -y to clarify pronunciation. Compare cray (“crazy”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "vacation"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of vacation"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "vacation",
      "vacation#English"
    ],
    [
      "cray",
      "cray#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A vacation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "895c677b1a3874c35352124c03a5e2192b8cf302e7d636e91c100c1fe53e0bba",
      "rawRecordSha256": "30b9074689a21721b0fc04fcee8e639be0792e90dcebeb3739043390c36c23f1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4572832
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To vacation (to spend or take a vacation)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "d0d856fac11ad1230ff2a7b5be7fd6992735471251ad3a97b31817a4f503694c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a3dda91dd6f81c03cfbf20b1feb43018f93d66168f35a862feca5250f55ea4a2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4572833
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for vacay →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dmFjYXk