Vain, Vein and Vane

A vein is a blood vessel or a distinctive style.

Vain means self admiring or futile. (The term in vain (as in to try in vain) means without success).

A vane is a stabilizing fin or blade.

Vein, Vain, and Vane

The words vein, vain, and vane sound identical, but their meanings are very different.

Vein

The noun vein has several meanings:

A blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries towards the heart.

  
varicose veins A distinctive style or manner. A layer of ore or mineral between layers of rock.


mineral vein running
The ribs that support an insect's wing.


veins in an insect's wing

Vain

The adjective vain means conceited or self admiring. Vain can also mean fruitless. In this meaning, it is often seen as in vain meaning without success or in a futile manner.

Examples:

Vane

The noun vane denotes a blade or a fin usually used to stabilize an object in the air or in water. It is most commonly seen in the word weathervane.

Examples:
weathervane

A Quick Test

Common Terms with Vain

The word vain (meaning futile or producing no result) is often seen in the following terms: Vain (meaning self-admiring) is often seen in the following terms:

Common Terms with Vein

The word vein (meaning the tubes forming part of the blood circulation system) is often seen in the following terms:


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See Also

What are adjectives? What are nouns? What are verbs? List of easily confused words