/ˌveɪnˈɡlɔːri/·noun·c. 1230 (in the Ancrene Wisse)·Established
Origin
From Anglo-Norman 'veine glorie', from Latin 'vāna glōria' — literally 'emptyglory'. A medieval theological term for pridewithout merit, combining Latin vānus (empty, from PIE *h₁weh₂-) with glōria (fame). Once a standalone deadlysin before Gregory the Great merged it into pride.
Definition
Excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements; empty, unwarranted boasting.
The Full Story
Anglo-Norman French (via Latin)13th centurywell-attested
From Anglo-Norman 'veine glorie', itself from Latin 'vāna glōria' ('emptyglory'). The Latin adjective 'vānus' meant 'empty, void, worthless' — from PIE *h₁weh₂- ('empty, abandoned'), the same root that givesEnglish 'want', 'wane', and 'vacant'. Latin 'glōria' ('fame, renown, glory') is of uncertain ultimate origin, though some scholars connect it to an Etruscan source. The compound was a technical term in medieval Christian theology: *vanagloria* was one of the capital sins
Did you know?
Vainglory was considered a separate deadlysin from pride for over a thousand years. The original list of eight 'evil thoughts' compiled by the desert monk Evagrius Ponticus in the 4th century included both *kenodoxia* (vainglory — glory-seeking before others) and *hyperēphania* (pride — self-exaltation before God). When Pope Gregory I condensed thelist to seven sins in 590 CE, he merged vainglory into pride, and