Where does “vanity” come from?
Vanity comes from English vain through French -ité and Latin -itas, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- meaning empty or void.
vanity (English): That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that...
Definitions
- That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that...
Ancestry of “vanity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vanite | — |
| 2 | Old French | vanité | — |
| 3 | Latin | vānitas | — |
| 4 | Latin | vānus | — |
| 5 | Italian | vano | vain, useless, idle; quaint; space, opening,... |
| 6 | Italian | vanare | Alternative form of vaneggiare |
| 7 | Romanian | -re | -ing, -ation |
| 8 | Latin | -āre | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 13 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
Words derived from “vanity”