vanish

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To disappear suddenly and completely.

   The magician made the coin vanish before our eyes.

2. 2
   verb

   To stop existing.

   Many ancient languages have vanished over the centuries.

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”). Doublet of evanesce. Displaced native Old English cwincan, whose causative persists as quench (“put out (fire)”).

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