Vanity
Etymology
From Latin vanitas, "emptiness, worthlessness, falsity," from vanus, "empty, void, idle." The older sense of hollowness survives in phrases like "in vain" and "vanity of vanities." The modern meaning — preening self-love — grew from the idea that such pride is built on nothing of substance: an empty conceit dressed as worth.
noun · /VAN-ih-tee/
Excessive pride in one’s appearance, achievements, or qualities, coupled with a hunger for admiration.
What it names
The trait of the person forever checking the mirror of others’ opinion — self-regard that depends on being seen and praised.
Example
A little vanity made him spend an hour on his hair for a call where the camera stayed off.
Related idea
Conceit is an inflated opinion of your own abilities; vanity is hungrier and more outward, craving the admiration of others for how you appear.
noun · /VAN-ih-tee/
A dressing table or bathroom unit with a mirror and washbasin.
What it names
the furniture at which one grooms — literally the place one attends to appearances
Example
She lined the perfume bottles along the edge of the vanity.
Related idea
The object is named for the vice: it is where one tends the very self-regard the abstract noun describes. A third, older sense — “emptiness, futility” — survives in “vanity of vanities.”