Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Vacuum"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Vacuum \Vac"u*um\, n.; pl. E. {Vacuums}, L. {Vacua}. [L., fr.
vacuus empty. See {Vacuous}.]
1. (Physics) A space entirely devoid of matter (called also,
by way of distinction, absolute vacuum); hence, in a more
general sense, a space, as the interior of a closed
vessel, which has been exhausted to a high or the highest
degree by an air pump or other artificial means; as, water
boils at a reduced temperature in a vacuum.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
vacuum
n 1: the absence of matter [syn: {vacuity}]
2: a region empty of matter [syn: {vacuity}]
3: an electrical home appliance that cleans by suction [syn: {vacuum
cleaner}]
v : clean with a vacuum cleaner [syn: {vacuum-clean}, {hoover}]
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