LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“void” in Latin

The English word void itself goes back to Latin vacō, through *vocitum.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

void adj.
Empty, Vid:
Vacant, vacuus (e.g., an office). The place is void, or vacant, locus vacat: to be void, vacuum esse: vacare.
Vain, cassus (without use or effect; e.g., exertions, labores, etc.): inanis (without worth, useless in itself; e.g., thought, cogitatio; exertions, contentiones): irritus (the same as if not begun, frustrated; e.g., an undertaking, inceptum; exertion, labor). (The words are found in this connection and order.) vanus et irritus: irritus et vanus: futilis (not tenable; e.g., opinion, sententia): nullus (as good as none; e.g., nulla est haec amicitia): fragilis: caducus, or (The words are found in this connection and order.) fragilis caducusque, or fluxus atque fragilis (without duration, perishable): ad rem ipsam or ad rei naturam non pertinens: quod ad rem non pertinet (not belonging to the essence of a thing): a re alicujus (foreign to a thing, unsubstantial): invalidus (ineffectual; opposed to fortis, valens: ☞ inefficax not before the Silver Age): inutilis (unfit fur, not to the purpose; opposed to utilis, saluber). To make or render anything void, aliquid irritum facere (to take away its legal power; e.g., a testament): aliquid rescindere (to annul, make void, cancel e.g., a testament, agreement, verdict). (The words are found in this connection and order.) rescindere et irritum facere, or ut irritum et vanum rescindere (a testament): refigere (to undo, tear off, as a publication that has been posted up; hence; e.g., legem, to recall, revoke). To declare anything null and void, aliquid tollere et irritum esse jubere: to consider anything void, aliquid pro irrito habere: to be void, inanem esse; vacuum esse: of anything, vacare, vacuum esse (ab) aliqua re: to leave void, inanem relinquere (in such manner that nothing enters into the object): vacuum relinquere (in such manner that something can yet be added, to leave a blank, not to fill up; e.g., a sheet of paper, tabellam): purum relinquere (e.g., spatia, not to embellish with paintings, etc.): void of anything, privatus or spoliatus aliqua re: void of words, inops verborum or verbis: void of spirit, ingenii sterilis (Sen., Benef., 2, 27, 1): an age void of great examples, seculum virtutum sterile (Tac., Hist., 1, 3, 1): void of joy or pleasure, voluptate carens: voluptatis expers: a life void of joy or pleasure, vita sine laetitia ac voluptate peracta: void of feeling, sensus expers: nihil sentiens (PROP.): durus: ferreus: inhumanus (IMPROP.): I am not quite so void of all feeling as, etc., non sum ita ferreus, qui, etc.
void s.
locus vacuus (an empty space, a vacuum): lacuna (a hollow; also, IMPROP., loss, want; e.g., of property): hiatus, -ūs (an opening, a gap): inanitas (emptiness): inane: vacuitas: vacuum (PROP.; Vid: SYN. in EMPTY): vanitas (IMPROP., the want of intrinsic value in anything; then, also, in a spiritual sense, of the mind of man, Vid: Herzog, Sall., Cat., 20, 3). A void left by anyone in treating on a subject, pars ab aliquo relicta: to fill up a void, lacunam explere (with regard to space or to number): this speech has left a great void in my mind, *haec oratio mihi prorsus non satisfecit.
void v.
To empty, Vid:
To leave empty, inanem relinquere: vacuum relinquere [SYN. in VOID].
To vacate [Vid: “to make VOID”].
To emit, alvum or ventrem exonerare: alvum exinanire, evacuare; also, alvum dejicere, subducere, purgare, solvere (the latter if by purging). To void thefield, inferiorem discedere: vinci.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for void?
The usual Latin words for “void” are vacuus, cāsus, inānis; also irritus, fūtilis, nūllus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.