See Also: Vanity(medicine)
vanity(dictionary)
vanity(dictionary)
Vanity Fair(dictionary)
vanity case(dictionary)
vanity plate(dictionary)
vanity press(dictionary)
vanity table(dictionary)

vanity (iou)



vanity noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French vanite from Latin vanitas, from vanus VAIN adjective: see -ITY.]
That which is vain, futile, or worthless; that which is of no value or profit; vain and unprofitable conduct or use of time. arch. ME.
Bible (AV): Ecclesiastes 1:14 All is vanitie, and vexation of spirit.
The quality of being vain or worthless; the futility or worthlessness of something. arch. ME.
E. B. Pusey The vanity of the resistance of the kings of Judah.
b. The quality of being foolish or in error. LME-M17.
The quality of being personally vain; self-conceit and desire for admiration. ME.
K. Grahame Your songs are all conceit and boasting and vanity.
b. An instance of this, an occasion for being vain. Now rare. E18.
c. A thing of which one is vain. Also (slang), a person's favourite alcoholic drink. M19.
W. Styron Her golden hair had always been her most reassuring physical vanity.
A vain, idle, or worthless thing; a thing or action of no value. ME.
b. An idle tale or matter; a worthless or unfounded idea or statement. ME-L19.
The state of being void or empty; emptiness, inanity. rare. LME-L16.
= COMPACT noun2 2. Now rare or obsolete. E20.
a. = vanity table below. M20.
A. Beattie Sitting..in front of an Art Deco vanity that her grandmother had given her.
b. = vanity unit below. N. Amer. M20.
Comb.: vanity bag, vanity-box, vanity-case a small handbag, box, case, fitted with a mirror and powder-puff; vanity basin a wash-basin for a vanity unit; vanity-box, vanity-case: see vanity bag above; Vanity Fair [orig. with allus. to Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (1678)] a place or scene where all is frivolity, idle amusement, and empty show; the world or a part of it so regarded; vanity licence plate = vanity number plate below; vanity mirror (a) a small make-up mirror, esp. as a fitting in a motor vehicle; (b) a dressing-table mirror; vanity number plate, vanity plate N. Amer. a vehicle licence plate bearing a distinctive or personalized combination of letters, numbers, or both; vanity press, vanity publisher (orig. US) a publisher who publishes only at the author's expense; vanity publishing: at the author's expense through a printer or a vanity publisher; vanity set (a) a set of cosmetics or toiletries; (b) US a matching bath and vanity unit; vanity table a dressing-table; vanity unit a unit comprising a wash-basin set into a flat top with cupboards beneath.