different between barren vs vain

English

Etymology

From Middle English barein, barain, from Old French baraigne, baraing (“sterile; barren”), of obscure origin; probably from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *bar (“bare; barren”), from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare”). More at bare.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bæ??n/
• Rhymes: -ær?n
• Homophone: baron (in some accents)

Adjective

barren (comparative barrener or more barren, superlative barrenest or most barren)

1. (not comparable) Unable to bear children; sterile.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar:

     Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
     To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
     The barren, touched in this holy chase,
     Shake off their sterile curse.

   I silently wept as my daughter's husband rejected her. What would she do now that she was no longer a maiden but also barren?

2. Of poor fertility, infertile; not producing vegetation.
3. Bleak.
4. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.
   • 1843, William H. Prescott, History of the Conquest of Mexico

     brilliant but barren reveries

   • Augusr 28, 1731, Jonathan Swift, letter to John Gay

     But schemes are perfectly accidental. Some will appear barren of hints and matter, but prove to be fruitful.
5. Mentally dull; stupid.
   • 1599-1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III, ii

     Set on some quantity of barren spectators to laugh too.

Synonyms

• sterile

Antonyms

• fertile
• fruitful

Translations

Noun

barren (plural barrens)

1. An area of low fertility and habitation, a desolate place.

   The pine barrens are a site lonely enough to suit any hermit.

Translations

Anagrams

• Barner

Basque

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ba.ren/

Etymology 1

Adjective

barren (comparative barrenago, superlative barrenen, excessive barrenegi)

1. deep

Declension

Noun

barren inan

1. interior
2. guts, stomach
3. (figuratively) soul, spirit

Declension

Etymology 2

barren

1. A particle used to give certainty or emphasis.

Further reading

• “barren” in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus
• “barren” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus

Catalan

Verb

barren

1. third-person plural present indicative form of barrar

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

barren m

1. definite singular of barre

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?baren/, [?ba.r?n]

Verb

barren

1. Second-person plural (ustedes) present indicative form of barrer.
2. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present indicative form of barrer.

Swedish

Noun

barren

1. definite singular of barr
2. definite plural of barr

English

Alternative forms

• wayn (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English veyn, from Old French vain, from Latin v?nus (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: v?n, IPA^(key): /ve?n/
• Homophones: vane, vein
• Rhymes: -e?n

Adjective

vain (comparative vainer or more vain, superlative vainest or most vain)

1. Overly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason.
   • 1959, Leo Rosten, The return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N

     Every writer is a narcissist. This does not mean that he is vain; it only means that he is hopelessly self-absorbed.

2. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying.
   • Let no man deceive you with vain words.
3. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile.

   • Vain is the force of man / To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
4. Showy; ostentatious.

Synonyms

• (overly proud of oneself): conceited; puffed up; inflated
• (pointless): pointless, futile, fruitless, ineffectual
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant
• See also Thesaurus:futile

Derived terms

• in vain
• vainness
• vainly

Related terms

• vanity

Translations

Further reading

• vain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• vain in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• vain at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Ivan, Na'vi, Vani, Vina, Viña, vina

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• ven

Etymology

From Latin v?num. Compare Istriot veîn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?/

Noun

vain m

1. wine

Finnish

Alternative forms

• vaan (colloquial, all senses; also has other non-colloquial meanings)

Etymology

Probably an old instructive plural of vajaa. Cognate with Estonian vaid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???i?n/, [???i?n]
• Rhymes: -?in
• Syllabification: vain

Adverb

vain

1. only, merely, exclusively, solely, just
2. ever (when used with an interrogative pronoun)

   mikä vain, milloin vain (“whenever”)

   Synonym: tahansa

3. An emphatic word used with the negative verb and -kö.

4. (with a verb in imperative) go ahead, be my guest

   Synonyms: sen kuin, sen kun

Derived terms

• kuka vain
• mikä vain

Anagrams

• inva-, ivan, niva, vian

French

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin v?nus, from Proto-Indo-European *h?weh?- (“empty”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /v??/
• Homophones: vainc, vaincs, vains, vin, vingt, vingts, vins, vint, vînt

Adjective

vain (feminine singular vaine, masculine plural vains, feminine plural vaines)

1. useless, ineffective, fruitless
2. vain, shallow

Synonyms

• inutile

Derived terms

• en vain

Related terms

• vanité
• vaniteux

Further reading

• “vain” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norman

Etymology

From Old French vain, from Latin v?nus (“empty”).

Adjective

vain m

1. (Jersey) vain

Derived terms

• vainement (“vainly”)