Archaic past tense of the verb 'to empty'; made empty.
Old English aemtan or emtig (to empty), related to Old Norse æmta. The -ed suffix was historically pronounced and written as a full syllable (-ed or -t), with empt being the shortened form used in verse to maintain meter.
Empt appears in Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers because it's a one-syllable past tense, perfect for poetry—modern readers see it and think it's a typo for 'empty,' but it's actually a legitimate (if obsolete) form designed specifically for poetic rhythm.
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