vanitas

Forms

vānitās f (genitive vānitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin vānus (“empty, vain”) + -tās.^[2][1][3] De Vaan traces vānus to Proto-Italic *wāno- or Proto-Italic *wā̆sno-, and further to Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂-no- or a related form.^[3] Cognate with Sanskrit ऊन (ūná-, “empty”) and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐍃 (wans, “missing”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Terence,^[3][4] whose Phormio has “aren't you ashamed of your lying?” – “not at all, as long as it pays”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is emptiness or illusory quality, as in Cicero's heavens where there is no chance and no emptiness, and of persons falsity or insincerity.^[2][5] It is also want of judgement or foolishness, as in Sallust's man whose folly was no smaller than his recklessness, and especially empty pride, as in Livy's “a story equal to vanity and fable”.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “vanity, emptiness, vain things, boasting, lying”,^[6] and British medieval writers use it of worldly pomp.^[7]

Timeline

• 190–159 BC – Terence of lying.^[2][3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of emptiness.^[2][4]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust of foolishness.^[2][4]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of empty pride.^[2][4]
• c. 1200 – Its descendant enters English as vanity, through Old French.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. Emptiness, nothingness, unreality; futility.^[2][5][1]
2. Falsity, untruthfulness, deception.^[2][5][1]
3. Foolishness, want of judgement.^[2]
4. Empty pride, vanity, vainglory.^[2][5][1]

Related words

• vānus
• English vanity

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com