Vainglory: The Forgotten Deadly Sin
Vainglory is one of those English words that wears its etymology on its sleeve — and yet conceals a striking history beneath its transparent surface. It means 'empty glory,' and that is exactly what its Latin ancestor meant. But how it got from a desert monk's catalogue of spiritual dangers to an English word is a journey through theology, moral philosophy, and the politics of sin.
The Latin Compound
The word descends from Latin vāna glōria, a straightforward compound: vānus ('empty, void, worthless') + glōria ('fame, renown'). Latin *vānus* derives from Proto-Indo-European \*h₁weh₂- ('empty, abandoned'), a root with surprising English descendants: wane (to diminish — literally 'to become empty'), want (originally 'to lack'), and vacant (via Latin *vacāre*, 'to be empty').
The origin of Latin *glōria* remains one of the unsolved puzzles of Latin etymology. Some scholars have proposed an Etruscan source; others connect it to *gnōria* (from *gnōscere*, 'to know'), making glory 'that by which one is known.' Neither derivation has achieved consensus.
From Desert Monks to Deadly Sins
The compound vanagloria became a technical term in early Christian asceticism. In the 4th century, the Egyptian monk Evagrius Ponticus compiled a list of eight *logismoi* (evil thoughts) that tempted the desert hermits. His Greek term was κενοδοξία (*kenodoxia*) — literally 'empty opinion/glory' — which Latin writers rendered as *vanagloria*.
Critically, Evagrius treated vainglory and pride (*hyperēphania*) as distinct vices. Vainglory was the desire for human praise and recognition — performing virtue for an audience. Pride was the deeper sin of self-exaltation before God, of believing oneself self-sufficient. Evagrius considered vainglory the gateway drug to pride: first you crave others' applause, then you begin to believe you deserve it.
John Cassian brought Evagrius's system to the Latin West
In the early 5th century, John Cassian translated the eight-thought system for Western monasteries in his *Institutes* and *Conferences*. His Latin list preserved the distinction between *vanagloria* (eighth) and *superbia* (pride, first and worst).
But in 590 CE, Pope Gregory the Great reorganized the list into the canonical seven deadly sins, merging vainglory into pride (*superbia*) and adding envy. This merger changed the moral vocabulary of Western Christianity permanently — but the word *vainglory* survived in English even after its theological independence was revoked.
Into English
The word entered English around 1230 via Anglo-Norman veine glorie, appearing in the *Ancrene Wisse* (a guide for anchoresses). Middle English used both the compound and the phrase 'vain glory' interchangeably. By the 14th century, Chaucer's Parson's Tale discussed it in the context of pride, reflecting Gregory's merged taxonomy.
The word's frequency peaked in the 16th and 17th centuries — the King James Bible (1611) uses it in Galatians 5:26: 'Let us not be desirous of vain glory.' It has declined steadily since, surviving mainly in literary and formal registers, though it experienced a minor revival as the title of a popular mobile video game.