To be honest, I don't know if there is a textbook definition and if there is what it might be. I can hazard a guess that when people speak of 'space' in general, they are not speaking of a thing, but the absence of a thing, namely the mostly hard vacume that surrounds heavenly bodies. In the 1800's, he predominant scientific thought was that there was something there, called ether, and that we'd have to find a way to sail on it. As that turned out not to be the case, it makes sense they'd just call it 'space', because that's all it is.

As it is a name for a certain packet of nothing, argueably it can't be destroyed, as it exists only as an idea. Now if you are speaking of the quality of space as in 'Time and..." I'd say that also only exists as a concept, but there we are talking about a quality of existing things, not so much the 'limitless void'.

Hope this helps. Peace.

My definition would be the distance between pieces of matter (or anti-matter). I think that would cover it. Its more of an idea that a real thing, however, and is really waaaay too small for me to see, so I'll have to take the scientists word for it.