Vain, Vane, Vein
Vain is an adjective meaning (1) excessively pleased with one’s own appearance or accomplishments, (2) not yielding the desired outcome, and (3) pointless. It’s also used in the idiom in vain, meaning to no avail or in an irreverent manner (as in taking the Lord’s name in vain).
Vane, the least common of the three words, is primarily a shortened form of weathervane, although it has other, rarer uses in engineering, navigation, and math.
A vein is a membranous tube that carries blood to the heart in animals, and the word has numerous other definitions derived from this one.
(Description from The Grammarist) |