vain

英 [ve?n] 美[ven]

反義詞

CET4TEM4IELTSGRE考研CET6中低頻詞核心詞匯

比較級:?vainer;最高級:?vainest;

vain 徒勞的，虛無的

來自拉丁語vanus,空的，虛無的，來自PIE*wa-no,分開的，遺棄的，詞源同vacate,want,wane.

vain: vain: [13] Latin vānus meant ‘empty’ (it was related to vacuus ‘empty’, source of English vacuum). It passed into English via Old French vain in the sense ‘worthless’, and the main modern meaning ‘conceited’ did not develop until the 17th century. Also from vānus come English evanescent, vanish, vanity [13], and vaunt [14], and wane, want, etc go back to the same ultimate Indo-European base.
=> evanescent, vanish, vanity, vaunt, wane, want
vain (adj.): c. 1300, "devoid of real value, idle, unprofitable," from Old French vain, vein "worthless, void, invalid, feeble; conceited" (12c.), from Latin vanus "empty, void," figuratively "idle, fruitless," from PIE *wa-no-, from root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (cognates: Old English wanian "to lessen," wan "deficient;" Old Norse vanta "to lack;" Latin vacare "to be empty," vastus "empty, waste;" Avestan va- "lack," Persian vang "empty, poor;" Sanskrit una- "deficient," Armenian unain "empty").

Meaning "conceited, elated with a high opinion of oneself" first recorded 1690s in English; earlier "silly, idle, foolish" (late 14c.). Phrase in vain "to no effect" (c. 1300, after Latin in vanum) preserves the original sense. Related: Vainly; vainness. Compare also vainglory.

2. It became obvious that all her complaints were in vain.: 很明顯她所有的抱怨都是白費口舌。

4. She is perceived as vain, spoilt and promiscuous.: 她被認為是個被人慣壞了的、既虛榮又淫亂的女人。