vakant

Vakant is an adjective used in Afrikaans to describe something that is not currently filled or occupied, such as a position, property, or space. It denotes vacancy and is common in administrative language to indicate that a post or space is available. In Afrikaans contexts, phrases like vakante pos meaning a vacant position are encountered.

The Afrikaans form vakant shares its origin with the English word vacant, both deriving from the Latin vacans. In English, the standard spelling is vacant, and vakant is not used in contemporary English.

Beyond everyday usage, the concept of vacancy appears in ecclesiastical and legal language as well. For example, the phrase the see is vacant is used to describe a diocese without a bishop, or more generally an unoccupied office.

In modern usage, vakant is primarily encountered in Afrikaans and other contexts influenced by Afrikaans; English speakers would use vacant. The term is often discussed in studies of language contact, dictionaries, or translations between Afrikaans and English.

See also: vacancy, vacant position, vacant lot, vacant see, vacancy rate.