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vanitas Definition

vani·tas (van′i täs′)

noun

  1. vanity; futility
  2. a work of art containing symbols of mortality or the impermanence of material things; esp., a 17th-cent. Dutch painting of this kind

Etymology: L

adjective

of or relating to this genre the vanitas tradition

vanitas Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • theme: Another of these minor poems is The Prais of Age, on the vanitas vanitatum theme.

Noun used with modifier

  • omnia: Another, more straightforward explanation is that the letters stand for: ' Orator ut omnia sunt vanitas ait vanitas vanitatem ' .
  • sunt: Another, more straightforward explanation is that the letters stand for: ' Orator ut omnia sunt vanitas ait vanitas vanitatem ' .
vanitas Quotes

Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes; vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas. Vanity of vanities, said the preacher; vanity of vanities, and everything is vanity. See Bible (Old Testament) 100:65.

—Bible (Vulgate)

Browse dictionary entries near vanitas

  1. ‹ vanishingly
  2. ‹ vanishing point
  3. ‹ vanishing
  4. ‹ vanished
  5. ‹ vanish
  6. ‹ Vanir
  7. ‹ vanillin
  8. ‹ vanillic
  9. ‹ vanilla
  10. ‹ vanguard
  1. vanity ›
  2. vanity case ›
  3. Vanity Fair ›
  4. vanity plate ›
  5. vanquish ›
  6. vanquisher ›
  7. vantage ›
  8. vantage point ›
  9. Vanua Levu ›
  10. Vanuatu ›