2. Destitute of forge or efficacy; effecting no purpose; fruitless; ineffectual; as, vain toil; a vain attempt.
Bring no more vain oblations.
Isa. i. 13.
Vain is the force of man
To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
Dryden. 3. Proud of petty things, or of trifling attainments; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments
with slight reason; conceited; puffed up; inflated.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?
James ii. 20
The minstrels played on every side,
Vain of their art.
Dryden. 4. Showy; ostentatious.
Load some vain church with old theatric state.
Pope. Syn. — Empty; worthless; fruitless; ineffectual; idle; unreal; shadowy; showy; ostentatious; light; inconstant; deceitful; delusive; unimportant; trifling.
Vain
(Vain), n. Vanity; emptiness; — now used only in the phrase in vain.
For vain. See In vain. [Obs.] Shak. — In vain, to no purpose; without effect; ineffectually. " In vain
doth valor bleed." Milton. " In vain they do worship me." Matt. xv. 9. — To take the name of God in
vain, to use the name of God with levity or profaneness.
Vainglorious
(Vain`glo"ri*ous) a. Feeling or indicating vainglory; elated by vanity; boastful. "Arrogant and
vainglorious expression." Sir M. Hale. — Vain`glo"ri*ous*ly, adv. — Vain`glo"ri*ous*ness, n.
Vainglory
(Vain`glo"ry) n. [Vain + glory.] Excessive vanity excited by one's own performances; empty
pride; undue elation of mind; vain show; boastfulness.
He had nothing of vainglory.
Bacon.
The man's undone forever; for if Hector break not his neck i' the combat, he'll break't himself in vainglory.
Shak. Vainly
(Vain"ly) adv. In a vain manner; in vain.
Vainness
(Vain"ness), n. The quality or state of being vain.
Vair
(Vair) n. [F. vair, from OF. vair, a., L. varius various, variegated. See Various, and cf. Menivel.]
The skin of the squirrel, much used in the fourteenth century as fur for garments, and frequently mentioned
by writers of that period in describing the costly dresses of kings, nobles, and prelates. It is represented
in heraldry by a series of small shields placed close together, and alternately white and blue. Fairholt.
No vair or ermine decked his garment.
Sir W. Scott. Counter vair (Her.), a fur resembling vair, except in the arrangement of the patches or figures.
Vairy
(Vair"y) a. [F. vairé. See Vair, n.] (Her.) Charged with vair; variegated with shield-shaped figures.
See Vair.
Vaishnava
(Vaish"na*va) n. [Skr. vaish&nsdotava.] (Hindu Myth.) A worshiper of the god Vishnu in
any of his incarnations.
Vaishnavism
(Vaish"na*vism) n. The worship of Vishnu.
