inanity

inanity
inanity (n.) c.1600, "emptiness, hollowness," literal and figurative, from Fr. inanité or directly from L. inanitas "emptiness, empty space," figuratively "worthlessness," noun of quality from inanis "empty, void, worthless, useless," of uncertain origin.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Inanity — In*an i*ty, n.; pl. {Inanities}. [L. inanitas, fr. inanis empty: cf. F. inanit[ e]. See {Inane}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Inanition; void space; vacuity; emptiness. [1913 Webster] 2. Lack of seriousness; aimlessness; frivolity. [1913 Webster] 3. An… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • inanity — index bombast, jargon (unintelligible language), platitude Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • inanity — [in an′i tē] n. [Fr inanité < L inanitas, emptiness] 1. the quality or condition of being inane; specif., a) emptiness b) lack of sense or meaning; silliness 2. pl. inanities something inane; senseless or silly act, remark, etc …   English World dictionary

  • inanity — inane ► ADJECTIVE ▪ lacking sense or meaning; silly. DERIVATIVES inanely adverb inanity noun (pl. inanities) . ORIGIN Latin inanis empty, vain …   English terms dictionary

  • inanity — noun (plural ties) Date: 1603 1. the quality or state of being inane: as a. lack of substance ; emptiness b. vapid, pointless, or fatuous character ; shallowness 2. something that is inane …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • inanity — /i nan i tee/, n., pl. inanities for 2. 1. lack of sense, significance, or ideas; silliness. 2. something inane. 3. shallowness; superficiality. [1595 1605; < L inanitas. See INANE, ITY] * * * …   Universalium

  • inanity — noun a) The property of being inane, of lacking material of interest or satisfaction, emptiness. Working in any bureaucracy means being bedeviled by inanities daily. b) Something that is inane …   Wiktionary

  • inanity — Synonyms and related words: absence of mind, absurdity, agnosticism, aimlessness, aridity, asininity, barrenness, battiness, big deal, blank, blank mind, blankmindedness, blankness, bloodlessness, bootlessness, brainlessness, buffoonery,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • inanity — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. silliness, asininity, foolishness; see stupidity 1 , 2 . II (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun Total lack of ideas, meaning, or substance: barrenness, blankness, emptiness, hollowness, vacancy, vacuity, vacuousness. See FULL …   English dictionary for students

  • inanity — in·an·i·ty || ɪ nænÉ™tɪ n. foolishness, silliness; hollowness, vanity; emptiness; something foolish or inane …   English contemporary dictionary

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