The mental state of being preoccupied by something

• The act of taking occupancy before someone else does

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. The act or right of taking possession before another.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
also pre-occupancy , "prior occupation," 1734, from pre- + occupancy .

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. the mental state of being preoccupied by something [syn: preoccupation , absorption , engrossment ] the act of taking occupancy before someone else does [syn: preoccupation ]

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Preoccupancy \Pre*oc"cu*pan*cy\, n. [See Preoccupate .] The act or right of taking possession before another; as, the preoccupancy of wild land.