Preoccupancy \Pre*oc"cu*pan*cy\, n. [See {Preoccupate}.] The act or right of taking possession before another; as, the preoccupancy of wild land.
preoccupancy n 1: the mental state of being preoccupied by something [syn: {preoccupation}, {absorption}, {engrossment}] 2: the act of taking occupancy before someone else does [syn: {preoccupation}]