*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of vain

From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).

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 ↗
adj

Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason. · Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying. · Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile. · Showy; ostentatious.

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

From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin vānus (“empty”).

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.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "veyn"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English veyn"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "vain"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French vain"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "vānus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "empty"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin vānus (“empty”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁weh₂-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
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      "veyn#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
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      "vain#Old_French"
    ],
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      "vānus",
      "vanus#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.",
        "Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.",
        "Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.",
        "Showy; ostentatious."
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To frustrate.

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

A conversion of the adjectival form of vain. The only use of this verb in English appears c. 1628 in the writings of Owen Felltham.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To frustrate."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
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        "transitive"
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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 vain →

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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dmFpbg