means the boundless three-dimensional expanse in which all objects exist and move, or specifically the vast vacuum beyond Earth's atmosphere.

from From Latin spatium, meaning 'room, extent, distance,' which traveled through Old French espace before arriving in English. For centuries it simply meant a gap or interval — the space between two things. The cosmic sense, the great black void with stars in it, is a relative newcomer that bloomed as astronomy did, turning a humble word for 'room' into a name for everything that isn't us.