To live in or use a place, or to fill time or space; it can also mean to take control of an area by force.
From Latin "occupare" meaning "to seize, take possession of," from "ob-" (over) and "capere" (to take). The sense expanded from seizing land to simply using or filling it.
When you "occupy" a chair, you’re peacefully doing the same basic action as an army that occupies a city: taking the space so others can’t. The word quietly links everyday sitting with big political movements like the "Occupy" protests.
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