Oh my word Vane, vain, vein and wane

Vain, vain, and vane are homophones (words that have the same sound but different meanings). The use of wind-vanes is waning these days. Probably, seamen still use vanes on yachts either for ornamentation or just for namesake (with the availability of compass and Smartphones).

Vane is a noun. Vane is a pointer or arrow usually installed on top of the building or a house which turns to the direction of the wind. Vane is a device which moves. It is moved by water or wind such as a blade of a propeller, sail of a windmill. Vane is thin or rigid or flat, or curved blade mounted along an axis such as a blade in a turbine, sail on a windmill that is turned by or used to turn a fluid.

Vane is a flattened is a web-like part of a feather consisting of barbs on either side of the shaft. Vane indicates in which way or direction the wind is blowing. Vain is an adjective: its superlatives are vainer and vainest. Vain means conceited; having a very high opinion of himself or herself as result of looks, abilities, talent, or any other trait or quality.

Lacking substance or worth: vain talk; vain also refers to someone being excessively proud of one’s appearance, accomplishments, wealth or status. Rhetorically, or attributively, vain refers to having no value, no significance; useless or futile Politicians make vain promises at the time of elections: they go through vain pleasures, vain triumphs, and vain attempts for a foothold in politics.

Grandmother lived in the vain hope that he will be returning to his native hamlet but he never did. In vain is an idiom: useless, not yielding any result, fruitless, useless. Our efforts went in vain though we ran to catch the bus! People sleep in vain in spite of knowing they have problem in falling asleep Vein is a blood vessel. Vein is membranous tubes that carries blood to the heart.

In botany vein is a vascular bundle or ribs branching out in a leaf. In zoology, vein is one of the horny ribs that stiffen and support the wing of an insect, also called nervure. Wane means gradually losing strength, power, importance, someone or something becoming weak or insignificant. Of the moon, wane means gradually decreasing in brightness after the full moon: The moon waxes and wanes.

Wax and wane is an idiom. Other derivatives of wane are wanes, waning, waned, (but wanly means pale or pallid to grief or sickness). Life’s happiness waxes and wanes.