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Vanity

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English

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Etymology

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From va(i)n + -ity, from Middle English vanite, from Old French vanité, from Latin vānitas, from vānus, whence English vain. Doublet of vanitas.

Katakana Transliteration Pronunciation

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  • ヴァ・ニ・ティ

vanity (countable and uncountable, plural vanities)

  1. That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that which is of no value, use or profit.
  2. A young woman, eyes downcast, holds pearls and a mirror in quiet self-congratulatory absorption.
    "Vanity" by Frank Cadogan Cowper (1907) 
    Excessive pride in or admiration of one's own abilities,appearance, achievements, or possessions.
  3. A dressing table used to apply makeup, preen, and coif hair, in which the table is normally quite low and similar to a desk.
  4. A washbasin installed into a permanently fixed storage unit, used as an item of bathroom furniture.
  5. (obsolete) Any idea, theory or statement that is without foundation.

Derived terms

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Further reading

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