Vanish

How to spell vanish

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce vanish

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does vanish mean?

1. verbTo disappear suddenly and completely, or to cease to exist.

Vanish in a sentence

• The magician made the coin vanish from his open palm.

• The savings could vanish within a year if spending continues.

Where does vanish come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Vanish entered English in the early 1300s from the Old French verb esvanir, evaniss-, which meant to disappear or fade from sight. That French verb came from the Latin evanescere, formed from the prefix e- or ex- meaning out or away and the verb vanescere meaning to fade or pass away. At the root of all this is the Latin adjective vanus, meaning empty, hollow, or without substance, the same root that gives us the modern words vain and vanity. The idea ran from something becoming empty to something simply ceasing to be visible, which is the sense we keep today. The slightly odd -ish ending is not the usual adjective suffix; it preserves the inflected stem of the old French verb, which is why vanish is spelled with that ending rather than the -esce you see in its cousin evanesce.

How the word is built

• from Latin vanus (empty) via evanescere (to fade away); modern -ish ending reflects the Old French verb stem