QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of vacuum
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin, neuter of vacuus “empty”
OTHER WORDS FROM vacuum
non·vac·u·um, adjective, noun, plural non·vac·u·ums, non·vac·u·a.Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use vacuum in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for vacuum
vacuum
/ (ˈvækjʊəm) /
noun plural vacuums or vacua (ˈvækjʊə)
verb
to clean (something) with a vacuum cleanerto vacuum a carpet
Word Origin for vacuum
C16: from Latin: an empty space, from vacuus empty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for vacuum
vacuum
[ văk′yōōm ]
Plural vacuums vacuua
A region of space in which there is no matter.
A region of space having extremely low gas pressure relative to surrounding pressure. The air pump of a vacuum cleaner, for example, drastically reduces the air pressure inside the device, creating a vacuum; the pressure difference causes air to rush into it, carrying dust and debris along with it.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for vacuum
notes for vacuum
In the natural world, air will flow into regions of vacuum, giving rise to the saying “Nature abhors a vacuum.”
notes for vacuum
The saying is extended informally: in politics, a lack of leadership may be referred to as a vacuum, which will presumably be filled by others rushing in.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.