occupation

English

Etymology

From Middle English occupacioun, borrowed from Middle French occupation, from Latin occupātio, from occupō (“occupy, seize”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p- (“to seize, grab”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/, /ˌɒkjəˈpeɪʃən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɑkjʊˈpeɪʃən/, /ˌɑkjəˈpeɪʃən/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

occupation (countable and uncountable, plural occupations)

1. An activity or task with which one occupies oneself; usually specifically the productive activity, service, trade, or craft for which one is regularly paid; a job.
2. The act, process or state of possessing a place.
   • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London–Birmingham services – Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 98:

     Last year it was announced that electrification of L.M.R. main lines was to be speeded up and that it would be essential for the engineers to have the longest possible occupation of the lines involved; this would mean some retrenchment of passenger train services.

3. The control of a country or region by a hostile military and/or paramilitary force.
   • 2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The lawyer and twice-divorced mother of three had presented herself as the modern face of her party, trying to strip it of unsavoury overtones after her father's convictions for saying the Nazi occupation of France was not "particularly inhumane".

Synonyms

• (activity with which one occupies oneself) employment, interest, line of work, profession, vocation

Translations

activity or task with which one occupies oneself

• Arabic: وَظِيفَة‎ (ar) f (waẓīfa), مِهْنَة‎ f (mihna), اِشْتِغَال‎ m (ištiḡāl), شُغْل‎ m (šuḡl)

  Egyptian Arabic: مهنة‎ f (mihna)

• Armenian: զբաղմունք (hy) (zbałmunkʿ), (regularly paid) աշխատանք (hy) (ašxatankʿ)
• Bashkir: шөғөл (şöğöl), һөнәр (hönär), эш (eş)
• Belarusian: заня́так (be) m (zanjátak), заня́цце n (zanjáccje), прафе́сія f (prafjésija), прафэ́сія f (prafésija), фах m (fax)
• Bulgarian: заня́тие (bg) n (zanjátie), профе́сия (bg) f (profésija)
• Catalan: ocupació (ca) f
• Chechen: корматалла (kormatalla)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 職業／职业 (zh) (zhíyè)

• Czech: zaměstnání (cs) n
• Danish: arbejde (da) n, beskæftigelse c, erhverv (da) n
• Dutch: bezigheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: okupo
• Finnish: ammatti (fi), työ (fi), ajanviete (fi)
• French: occupation (fr) f
• Georgian: საქმიანობა (sakmianoba), ხელობა (xeloba), პროფესია (ṗropesia), თავშესაქცევი (tavšesakcevi)
• German: Beschäftigung (de) f, Beruf (de) m
• Greek: απασχόληση (el) f (apaschólisi)

  Ancient: ἐργασία f (ergasía)

  Ancient Cretan: ϝεργασία f (wergasía)

• Haitian Creole: okipasyon
• Hebrew: תַּעֲסוּקָה‎ f (ta'asuka)
• Hungarian: foglalkozás (hu)
• Italian: occupazione (it) f
• Japanese: 仕事 (ja) (しごと, shigoto), 職業 (ja) (しょくぎょう, shokugyō)
• Korean: 직업(職業) (ko) (jigeop)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: پیشە‎ (ckb) (pîşe)

  Northern Kurdish: pîşe (ku), meslek (ku), mihne (ku), hokar (ku), kariyer (ku), profesyon (ku)

• Latin: negotium n
• Macedonian: занимање (mk) n (zanimanje), струка f (struka)
• Maori: whakatāuteute, umanga (profession), mahi (job, employment)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: мэргэжил (mn) (mergežil)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: yrke (no) n

• Pashto: اشتغال‎ m (ešteǧā̄́l)
• Persian: اشتغال‎ (fa) (ešteğâl), شغل‎ (fa) (šoğl)
• Plautdietsch: Beroop (nds) m
• Polish: zajęcie (pl) n, zawód (pl) m, fach (pl) m
• Portuguese: ocupação (pt) f, serviço (pt) m, emprego (pt) m, trabalho (pt) m
• Russian: заня́тие (ru) n (zanjátije), профе́ссия (ru) f (proféssija)
• Scottish Gaelic: cosnadh m, obair (gd) f, dreuchd f, gnìomhachd f
• Slovak: zamestnanie n
• Slovene: poklȋc m
• Spanish: ocupación (es) f
• Swahili: shughuli (sw) class 9
• Swedish: sysselsättning (sv) c, syssla (sv) c
• Tajik: шуғл (šuġl)
• Telugu: వృత్తి (te) (vr̥tti)
• Thai: อาชีพ (th) (aa-chîip), งาน (th) (ngaan)
• Ukrainian: заня́ття n (zanjáttja), профе́сія (uk) f (profésija), фах (uk) m (fax)
• Yiddish: פֿאַך‎ m (fakh), מלאכה‎ f (melokhe)
• Zazaki: istiğal, gure

act, process or state of possessing a place

• Bengali: দখল করা (dokhol kora)
• Bulgarian: зае́мане n (zaémane)
• Catalan: ocupació (ca) f
• Danish: besættelse c, okkupation c
• Finnish: omistus (fi)
• Georgian: დაკავება (daḳaveba)
• Greek: κατάληψη (el) f (katálipsi)
• Hebrew: כיבוש \ כִּבּוּשׁ‎ m (kibúsh)
• Hindi: अधिभोग m (adhibhog)
• Irish: lonnaíocht f, gabháil m
• Italian: occupazione (it) f
• Ladino: okupasion f
• Macedonian: заземање n (zazemanje)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: okkupasjon (no) m

• Polish: zajmowanie (pl) n
• Portuguese: ocupação (pt) f
• Russian: завладе́ние (ru) n (zavladénije), заня́тие (ru) n (zanjátije), занима́ние (ru) n (zanimánije), оккупа́ция (ru) f (okkupácija)
• Spanish: ocupación (es) f
• Telugu: ఆక్రమణం (ākramaṇaṁ)
• Urdu: قبضہ‎ m (qabẓah)
• Yiddish: אָקופּאַציע‎ f (okupatsye)

control of a country or region by a hostile army

• Albanian: okupacion (sq) m, pushtim (sq) m
• Arabic: اِحْتِلال‎ m (iḥtilāl), إِشْغَال‎ m (ʔišḡāl), اِسْتِيلَاء‎ m (istīlāʔ)

  South Levantine Arabic: احتلال‎ m (eḥtilāl)

• Armenian: օկուպացիա (hy) (ōkupacʿia)
• Azerbaijani: işğal (az), istila (az)
• Bashkir: оккупация (okkupatsiya)
• Belarusian: акупа́цыя f (akupácyja)
• Bulgarian: окупа́ция (bg) f (okupácija)
• Catalan: ocupació (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 占領／占领 (zh) (zhànlǐng), 占用 (zh) (zhànyòng)

• Crimean Tatar: işğal
• Czech: obsazení n, okupace (cs) f
• Danish: besættelse c, okkupation c
• Dutch: bezetting (nl) f
• Esperanto: okupado
• Estonian: okupatsioon (et)
• Faroese: herseting f
• Finnish: miehitys (fi)
• French: occupation (fr) f
• Georgian: ოკუპაცია (ka) (oḳuṗacia), დაპყრობა (daṗq̇roba)
• German: Besatzung (de) f; Besetzung (de) f; (elevated) Okkupation (de) f
• Greek: κατοχή (el) f (katochí)
• Hebrew: כיבוש / כִּבּוּשׁ‎ m (kibúsh)
• Hindi: क़ब्ज़ा m (qabzā)
• Hungarian: megszállás (hu)
• Icelandic: hernám (is) n
• Ido: okupado (io)
• Interlingua: occupation
• Irish: gabháil m
• Italian: occupazione (it) f
• Japanese: 占領 (ja) (せんりょう, senryō)
• Kazakh: оккупация (okkupasiä), басқын (basqyn)
• Korean: 점령(占領) (ko) (jeomnyeong)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: داگیری‎ (dagîrî)

  Northern Kurdish: dagirî (ku) f, dagirkerî (ku) f, îşxal (ku)

• Kyrgyz: оккупация (okkupatsiya), баскын (baskın)
• Ladino: okupasion f
• Latvian: okupācija f
• Lithuanian: okupacija (lt) f
• Macedonian: окупација f (okupacija)
• Malay: pendudukan
• Norman: otchupâtiaon f (Guernsey), otchupâtion f (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: okkupasjon (no) m, hærsetting

  Nynorsk: okkupasjon m, hærsetjing

• Ottoman Turkish: اشغال‎ (işgal)
• Pashto: اشغال‎ (ps) m (ešǧãl), استيلا‎ f (estilã)
• Persian: اشغال‎ (fa) (ešğâl), استیلا‎ (fa) (estilâ)
• Polish: okupacja (pl) f
• Portuguese: ocupação (pt) f, tomada (pt) f
• Romanian: ocupare (ro) f, ocupație (ro) f
• Russian: оккупа́ция (ru) f (okkupácija)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: окупа́ција f

  Roman: okupácija (sh) f

• Slovak: okupácia f
• Slovene: okupacija f
• Spanish: ocupación (es) f
• Swedish: ockupation (sv) c
• Tajik: ишғол (tg) (išġol), истило (istilo)
• Thai: การยึดครอง (gaan-yʉ́t-krɔɔng)
• Turkish: işgal (tr), istila (tr)
• Turkmen: okkupasiýa
• Ukrainian: окупа́ція f (okupácija)
• Urdu: قبضہ‎ m (qabẓah), اشغال‎ (iśġāl)
• Uyghur: ئىشغال‎ (ishghal)
• Uzbek: okkupatsiya (uz), ishgʻol (uz), istilo (uz)
• Vietnamese: sự chiếm đóng
• Volapük: bepladam (vo)
• Yiddish: אָקופּאַציע‎ f (okupatsye), אָקופּירן‎ n (okupirn)
• Zazaki: işğal, istila

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin occupātio, occupātiōnem. Synchronically analysable as occuper +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.ky.pa.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

occupation f (plural occupations)

1. occupation (the occupying of a territory; something that one spends one's time on, such as a job or a hobby; act of occupying, of being an occupant)

Related terms

• occuper

Further reading

• “occupation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.