Standard Lemma guide

vanitas

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈvæn.ɪˌtɑs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A type of still life painting, symbolic of mortality, characteristic of Dutch painting of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: painting

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin vānitās. Doublet of vanity.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 虛空畫 /虚空画 (xūkōnghuà) — type of still life painting
  • Japanese: ヴァニタス (vanitasu) — type of still life painting