Origin and history of vacuum

1540s, "emptiness of space, space void of matter," from Latin vacuum "an empty space, vacant place, a void," noun use of neuter of vacuus "empty, unoccupied, devoid of," figuratively "free, unoccupied," related to the source of Latin vacare "to be empty" (from extended form of PIE root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out"), with adjectival suffix -uus. Properly a loan-translation of Greek kenon, literally "that which is empty."

The meaning "a space emptied of air" is attested from 1650s. A vacuum tube originally (1784) meant an evacuated pipe through which objects be passed by force of air behind. The sense of "sealed glass tube nearly empty of air or other gas with electrical wires welded into it" is by 1859. Vacuum cleaner is from 1903; the shortened form vacuum (n.) is attested by 1910.

The metaphysicians of Elea, Parmenides and Melissus, started the notion that a vacuum was impossible, and this became a favorite doctrine with Aristotle. All the scholastics upheld the maxim that "nature abhors a vacuum." [Century Dictionary]

"to clean with a vacuum cleaner," by 1913, from vacuum (n.). Related: Vacuumed; vacuuming.