Word part · Latin root
Vac root words: meaning and 14 examples
In short
The Latin root vac (from Latin) means "empty". It is also spelled vacu. Words with it include vacation, vacations, vacationed, vacationing, vacationer and vacationers. A vacation empties your schedule, and a vacuum is a space with the air taken out.
- Part
- vac
- Meaning
- empty
- Origin
- Latin
- Also spelled
- vacu
- Words listed
- 14
A vacation empties your schedule, and a vacuum is a space with the air taken out. Spelled vacu in evacuate and vacuum.
Words with the Latin root vac
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| vacation | vac (root or base)+ation (suffix)→vacation | a time when your days are empty of school or work |
| vacations | vac (root or base)+ation (suffix)+s (suffix)→vacations | more than one vacation |
More words: vacancy, vacancies, vacuum, vacuums, vacate, evacuate
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| vacationed | vac (root or base)+ation (suffix)+ed (suffix)→vacationed | took a vacation |
| vacationing | vac (root or base)+ation (suffix)+ing (suffix)→vacationing | taking a vacation, now |
| vacationer | vac (root or base)+ation (suffix)+er (suffix)→vacationer | a person on vacation |
| vacationers | vac (root or base)+ation (suffix)+er (suffix)+s (suffix)→vacationers | people on vacation |
| evacuation | e (prefix)+vacu (root or base)+ation (suffix)→evacuationthe prefix changes to match | moving everyone out so a place is empty |
| evacuations | e (prefix)+vacu (root or base)+ation (suffix)+s (suffix)→evacuationsthe prefix changes to match | more than one evacuation |
Where does vac sit in a word?
A root can come first, last or in the middle. Students who only look at the start of a word miss half of these.
- At the start:
- vacation, vacations, vacationed, vacationing, vacationer, vacationers
- In the middle:
- evacuation, evacuations
How do you teach the root vac?
Every student knows vacation, so start there. Ask, "What's empty on a vacation?" Your schedule. No school, no homework. Then show evacuation: everyone leaves a building so it is empty. Vacuum is the last step, a space with the air pulled out, which is how a vacuum cleaner pulls in dust. Show the vacu spelling in evacuation and vacuum.
A quick routine
Say, "Vac means empty." Read vacation, evacuation and vacuum aloud. For each, the student finishes the sentence "It is empty of..." (school, people, air). Then write e + vacu + ation and ask the student to read the sum, then the word. Close with a quick spelling of vacation, part by part.
What do students mix up with vac?
Vacant is a good word for this root too, but some students hear vacation and vacant and think both are about trips. Steer them back to the meaning empty. Words that only share letters, such as vacillate, aren't on this list. Keep the focus on the five or six words with a clear empty meaning.
For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the root vac mean?
Vac means "empty". It is a Latin root, also spelled vacu. A vacation empties your schedule, and a vacuum is a space with the air taken out. Spelled vacu in evacuate and vacuum.
What are some words with the root vac?
Start with vacation, vacations, vacancy and vacancies. Then move to vacationed and vacationing. This page lists 14 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Why is vacation from a root that means empty?
A vacation was first a time when your usual work was emptied out. You stopped your normal duties for a while, so the days were free.
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