vanish means the brief terminal part of a vowel or vocal element, differing more or less in quality from the main part. It carries an Arena rating of 1534, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, vanish ranks #680 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #770 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words, #1,240 of 17,111 for Most Sublime Words, #2,321 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
vanish is pronounced /ˈvænɪʃ/.
Why “vanish” is a great word
To become invisible or to move out of view, often suddenly or completely. It is an aphetic form of obsolete 'evanish', from Middle English 'vanyshen', from Old French 'esvanir', from Vulgar Latin '*exvanire' ("to vanish"), from Latin 'evanescere' ("to disappear, fade out"), from 'vanus' ("empty"). Unlike "fade," which implies a gradual dissolution, or "depart," which suggests a deliberate leave-taking, "vanish" is the sudden, absolute subtraction of presence. It is the rabbit disappearing from the hat, the last coin of light sinking below the horizon, the final exhale of steam from a winter cup—the moment the solid world withdraws its consent to be seen, leaving only the shape of absence behind.
Etymology
Aphetic for obsolete evanish, from Middle English vanyshen, evaneschen, from Old French esvanir, esvaniss- (modern French évanouir), from Vulgar Latin *exvanire (“to vanish, disappear, to fade out”), from Latin evanescere, from vanus (“empty”). By surface analysis, Latin van- + -ish (“verb suffix”). Doublet of evanesce.
Displaced native Old English cwincan, whose causative persists as quench (“put out (fire)”).
noun
- The brief terminal part of a vowel or vocal element, differing more or less in quality from the main part.e.g.“a as in ale ordinarily ends with a vanish of i as in ill.”
- A magic trick in which something seems to disappear.e.g.“The French drop is a well-known vanish involving sleight of hand.”
- A disappearance; a vanishment.
verb
- To become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed.e.g.“Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly.”
- To become equal to zero.e.g.“The function f such as f(x)#61;x² vanishes at x#61;0.”
- To disappear; to kidnap.e.g.“And as if to prove it, one of his friends was vanished and was never seen again. The guy got in a taxi one night, and no one ever saw him ever again.”
Words closest in meaning
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