*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of vaunt

From Middle English vaunten, from Anglo-Norman vaunter, variant of Old French vanter, from Latin vānus (“vain, boastful”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An instance of vaunting; a boast.

verb

To speak boastfully. · To speak boastfully about. · To boast of; to make a vain display of; to display with ostentation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English vaunten, from Anglo-Norman vaunter, variant of Old French vanter, from Latin vānus (“vain, boastful”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "vaunten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English vaunten"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "vaunter"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman vaunter"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "vanter"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French vanter"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "vānus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "vain, boastful"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin vānus (“vain, boastful”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁weh₂-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "vaunten",
      "vaunten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "vaunter",
      "vaunter#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "vanter",
      "vanter#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "vānus",
      "vanus#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An instance of vaunting; a boast."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "77d826ae756e376c8b22baf8c81100ab83d76fd1dd7a0f05b0efd75f68a13c1e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4034ade4a6624466b3f0043033e3e6939828733d808da3dab3995258fc61280e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234341
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To speak boastfully.",
        "To speak boastfully about.",
        "To boast of; to make a vain display of; to display with ostentation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "871aad959b78052281d38c8f083004ea4ceeee75fda26df5103e5af2cbe1ba6a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2f49be575d7302024f203a659c3447af5290083d7b9dbf1f12e7719fdb09246b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234340
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The first part.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French avant (“before, fore”). See avant, vanguard.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionavantfr
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "avant",
        "4": "",
        "5": "before, fore"
      },
      "expansion": "French avant (“before, fore”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "avant",
      "avant#French"
    ],
    [
      "avant",
      "avant#English"
    ],
    [
      "vanguard",
      "vanguard#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The first part."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "2491809f66260896f694c2436e3a70785ec4f9cc7303bd5ec10a33e87d9cf542",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4586955b1fc21bc0ca33fea443197a6ba9fd481107a6914fcfdad6b33375b330",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234342
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for vaunt →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dmF1bnQ