Emily Dickinson Lexicon

OC-CI-DENT'AL, a. [L. occidentalis.]

Western; opposed to oriental; pertaining to the western quarter of the hemisphere, or to some part of the earth westward of the speaker or spectator; as, occidental climates; occidental pearl; occidental gold. Encyc. Howell.

OC-CID'U-OUS, a. [L. occido, occiduus.]

Western. [Little used.]

OC-CIP'IT-AL, a. [from L. occiput, the back part of the head; ob and caput.]

Pertaining to the back part of the head, or to the occiput.

OC'CI-PUT, n. [L. ob and caput, head.]

The hinder part of the head, or that part of the skull which forms the hind part of the head.

OC-CIS'ION, n. [s as z; L. occisio, from occido, to kill; ob and cædo.]

A killing; the act of killing. [Not used.] Hall.

OC-CLUDE, v.t. [L. occludo; ob and cludo, claudo, to shut.]

To shut up; to close. [Little used.] Brown.

OC-CLUSE, a. [L. occlusus.]

Shut; closed. [Little used.] Holder.

OC-CLU'SION, n. [s as ž; L. occlusio.]

A shutting up; a closing. Howell. [This as an elegant word, though little used.]

OC-CULT', a. [L. occultus, occulo; ob and celo, to conceal.]

Hidden from the eye or understanding; invisible; secret; unknown; undiscovered; undetected; as, the occult qualities of matter. Newton. The occult sciences are magic, necromancy, &c. Occult lines, in geometry, are such as are drawn with the compasses or a pencil, and are scarcely visible. Encyc.

OC-CULT-A'TION, n. [L. occultatio.]

1. A hiding; also, the time a star or planet is hid from our sight, when eclipsed by the interposition of the body of a planet. Encyc.
2. In astronomy, the hiding of a star or planet from our sight, by passing behind some other of the heavenly bodies.

OC-CULT'ED, a.

Hid; secret. [Not used.] Shak.

OC-CULT'NESS, n.

The state of being concealed from view; secretness.

OC'CU-PAN-CY, n. [L. occupo, to take or seize; ob and capio, to seize.]

1. The act of taking possession.
2. In law, the taking possession of a thing not belonging to any person. The person who first takes possession of land is said to have or hold it by right of occupancy. Occupancy gave the original right to the property in the substance of the earth itself. Blackstone.

OC'CU-PANT, n.

1. He that occupies or takes possession; he that has possession.
2. In law, one that first takes possession of that which has no legal owner. The right of property, either in wild beasts and fowls, or in land belonging to no person, vests in the first occupant. The property in these cases follows the possession.

OC'CU-PATE, v.t. [L. occupo.]

To hold; to possess; to take up. [Not used.] Bacon.

OC-CU-PA'TION, n. [L. occupatio.]

1. The act of taking possession. Bacon.
2. Possession; a holding or keeping; tenure; use; as lands in the occupation of A.B.
3. That which engages the time and attention; employment; business. He devotes to study all the time that his other occupations will permit.
4. The principal business of one's life; vocation; calling; trade; the business which a man follows to procure a living or obtain wealth. Agriculture, manufactures and commerce furnish the most general occupations of life. Painting, statuary, music, are agreeable occupations. Men not engaged in some useful occupation commonly fall into vicious courses.

OC'CU-PI-ED, pp.

Possessed; used; employed.

OC'CU-PI-ER, n.

1. One that occupies or takes possession. Ralegh.
2. One who holds possession.
3. One who follows an employment. Ezek. xxvii.

OC'CU-PY, v.i.

To follow business; to negotiate. Occupy till I come. Luke xix.

OC'CU-PY, v.t. [L. occupo; ob and capio, to seize or take.]

1. To take possession. The person who first occupies land which has no owner, has the right of property.
2. To keep in possession; to possess; to hold or keep for use. The tenant occupies a farm under a lease of twenty-one years. A lodger occupies an apartment; a man occupies the chair in which he sits.
3. To take up; to possess; to cover or fill. The camp occupies five acres of ground. Air may be so rarefied as to occupy a vast space. The writing occupies a sheet of paper, or it occupies five lines only.
4. To employ; to use. The archbishop may have occasion to occupy more chaplains than six. Eng. Statute.
5. To employ; to busy one's self. Every man should be occupied, or should occupy himself, in some useful labor.
6. To follow, as business. All the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. Ezek. xxvii.
7. To use; to expend. All the gold that was occupied for the work. Exod. xxxviii. [Not now in use.]

OC'CU-PY-ING, ppr.

Taking or keeping possession; employing.

OC-CUR', v.i. [L. occurro; ob and curro, to run.]

1. Primarily, to meet; to strike against; to clash; and so used by Bentley, but this application is obsolete.
2. To meet or come to the mind; to be presented to the mind, imagination or the memory. We say, no better plan occurs to me or to my mind; it does not occur to my recollection; the thought did not occur to me. There doth not occur to me any use of this experiment for profit. Bacon.
3. To appear; to meet the eye; to be found here and there. This word occurs in twenty places in the Scriptures; the other word does not occur in a single place; it does not occur in the sense suggested.
4. To oppose; to obviate. [Not used.] Bentley.

OC-CUR'REN-CE, n. [Fr.]

1. Literally, a coming or happening; hence any incident or accidental event; that which happens without being designed or expected; any single event. We speak of an unusual occurrence, or of the ordinary occurrences of life.
2. Occasional presentation. Voyages detain the mind by the perpetual occurrence and expectation of something new. Watts.

OC-CUR'RENT, n.

Incident; any thing that happens. [Obs.] Bacon.

OC-CUR'SION, n. [L. occursio, from occurro, to meet.]

A meeting of bodies; a clash. Boyle.