"Not empty" set in one word?

Question

Is there a single word which means "not empty"? That is, a word which one might use to describe a field with one or more cows in it, as opposed to an "empty" field with none?

Full or even partially-full are not appropriate, because the number of animals is indeterminate, and the final count could be a single bull [which are best kept on their own] or fifty cows. Or three sheep. And the field is really only full when there is no more space available.

I'd prefer a single word, to go with the single word "Empty". Currently I'm using "has animals" which I feel is not particularly succinct.

[This is an edit of the original question reproduced below, in an effort to keep it on-topic]

I'm trying to figure out the names for different states of a set of items, empty or non-empty.
What I came up with so far:

EmptyAndFetching,
EmptyAndReady,
HasItemsAndFetching,
HasItemsAndReady,
Error

HasItems seems awkward, I would rather use one word than two.
How do you call a set that is not empty, i.e. has at least one item, in a common language?

GEdgar · Accepted Answer

Mathematicians always use the word nonempty.  Maybe you will like it, too.

(of a set or class) not empty; having at least one element or member

Andrew Leach · Answer

Dictionary.com has the following for empty:

containing nothing; having none of the usual or appropriate contents: an empty bottle.
  vacant; unoccupied: an empty house.
  without cargo or load: an empty wagon.
  destitute of people or human activity: We walked along the empty streets of the city at night.

While there is no real antonym for (1) other than not empty or containing liquid (or cows), the other meanings do have single opposing words,

occupied; laden; populous/populated

If those words aren't suitable, perhaps you might use them to find synonyms.

Stéphane Gimenez · Answer

By mathematical terminology, you may consider inhabited or nonempty; both apply to sets. These usually carry the same meaning, but they may differ in non-classical mathematics. The difference is explained on Wikipedia.

I believe you wouldn't mind calling cows inhabitants, would you?

Jim Newton · Answer

In French we use the term "habitation" to express a type which is not empty, i.e., a type for which there is some element of that type. I suggest the same thing in English. Either a set is empty or inhabited.

Answered by Jim Newton on May 24, 2021

Jonas Seguin · Answer

I believed this has to be discussed for every example,
but for the cow field, occupied could work.

"Not empty" set in one word?

5 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question