vain

• wayn (obsolete)

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

• enPR: vān, IPA^(key): /veɪn/

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• Homophones: vane, vein
• Rhymes: -eɪn

vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)

1. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
   • 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N

     Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed.

2. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
   • c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene i]:

     I will not hear thy vain excuse

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Ephesians 5:6:

     Let no man deceive you with vain words.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy.

3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   vain toil    a vain attempt

   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

     Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied. His manner and appearance were suggestive of a satiated sea-lion.

4. Showy; ostentatious.
   • 1735, Alexander Pope, “Epistle IV. To Richard Earl of Burlington.”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume II, London: […] J. Wright, for Lawton Gilliver […], OCLC 43265629, lines 25–30, page 40:

     Yet ſhall (my Lord) your juſt, your noble Rules / Fill half the land with imitating Fools: / VVho random dravvings from your ſheets ſhall take, / And of one beauty many blunders make; / Load ſome vain Church with old Theatric State, / Turn Arcs of Triumph to a Garden-gate, […]

• (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
• (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant
• See also Thesaurus:futile

• in vain
• vainness
• vainly

• vanity

• vain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• vain in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• vain at OneLook Dictionary Search

• Ivan, Na'vi, Vani, Vian, Vina, Viña, ivan, vina

• ven

From Latin vīnum. Compare Istriot veîn.

• IPA^(key): /βeŋ/

vain m

1. wine

• vaan (colloquial, all senses; also has other non-colloquial meanings)

Probably an old instructive plural of the stem vaja- (*vajin). Cognate with Estonian vaid.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯n/, [ˈʋɑi̯n]
• Rhymes: -ɑin
• Syllabification^(key): vain

vain

1. only, merely, exclusively, solely, just

   Olen vain ihminen.

   I am just/only a human.

   Paita maksoi vain kaksi euroa.

   The shirt cost just/only two euros.

2. ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)

   Synonym: tahansa

   mikä vain ― whatever

   milloin vain ― whenever

3. An emphatic word used with the negative verb and -kö.

   Kävit siellä, etkö vain?

   You went there, didn't you?

   Tämä on se, eikö vain?

   This is it, right?

4. (with a verb in imperative) go ahead, be my guest (in positive); definitely (in negative)

   Synonyms: sen kuin, sen kun, ihmeessä

   "Saanko syödä viimeisen suklaapalan?" "Syö vain."

   "May I eat the last piece of chocolate?" "Go ahead (and eat it)."

   Älä vain oleta minun syöneen viimeistä kakkupalaa.

   Definitely don't assume I ate the last slice of cake.

• kuka vain
• mikä vain

• inva-, ivan, niva, vian

From Old French vain, from Latin vānus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”).

• IPA^(key): /vɛ̃/

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• Homophones: vainc, vaincs, vains, vin, vingt, vingts, vins, vint, vînt

vain (feminine vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)

1. useless, ineffective, fruitless
2. vain, shallow

• inutile

• en vain

• vanité
• vaniteux

• “vain”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

• vainement (“vainly”)