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A note that a blank space on the object is deliberate, not damage.
Also known as: Vac., Blank space marker
Latin for 'it is empty'. An editor uses it to record that the writer left a space on purpose — around a heading, before a new section — so that a reader does not take the gap for a lost passage.
A notation recording that a space on the object was left blank deliberately by the ancient writer rather than lost to damage.
Contexts: History
Positive evidence about layout. A deliberate gap can mark a section break, set off a heading, or show that a name was to be added later and never was.
Recording it prevents a specific misreading: without the note, a blank in a printed edition looks exactly like a lacuna, and a reader would assume text is missing.
The abbreviated word vac. set in italic within a line of text, or an italic note enclosed in brackets standing in place of a blank area.