I. ˈvanish, -nēsh, esp in pres part -nəsh verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English vanisshen, from Middle French evaniss-, stem of esvanir, evanir, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin exvanire, alteration of Latin evanescere to evaporate, die away, vanish, from e- + vanescere to vanish, from vanus empty — more at wane
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to disappear entirely : pass altogether out of sight : become invisible
straightway vanished beneath his blankets — John Muir †1914
the last traces of respectability had vanished — Marcia Davenport
b. : to disappear by departing : go away
he vanished into the bathroom — Scott Fitzgerald
as each member of our family finished eating dinner he would excuse himself and vanish — Parents' Magazine
takes her to a social and vanishes with the boys to the bar — Marjorie Proops
c. : to disappear by passing out of existence : cease to be
two dozen cheeses, as big as cartwheels, vanished into the void every day — Van Wyck Brooks
her resolution vanished — Ellen Glasgow
many human ills … will run their course and vanish without treatment of any sort — Martin Gardner
2. : to assume the value zero
by definition a fluid is called ideal if, and only if, the viscosity tensor vanishes — Mathematics Magazine
transitive verb
: to cause to disappear
you can vanish the coin completely — Jean Hugard
• van·ish·er noun -s
Synonyms:
vanish , evanesce , evaporate , disappear , and fade agree in meaning to pass from view or out of existence. vanish usually suggests a total, often mysterious, sudden passing, commonly leaving no trace
his grandmother's fortune vanished in a bank failure — Catharine Brody
many of the wild creatures of early times have vanished or are almost extinct — American Guide Series: Texas
his smile quickly vanished — Kenneth Roberts
the apparition appeared for a moment, then vanished
evanesce usually suggests a gradual effacement or dissipation to a final complete dissolution
their hopes evanesced as money and food became scarcer
the beauty of youth evanesced before the hardships of existence
evaporate suggests a vanishing as silently and inconspicuously as that of a vapor
nothing can insure the continuance of love. It will evaporate like a spirit — Thomas Hardy
his anger did not evaporate in words — George Meredith
invested capital evaporates even with watchful care — W.C.Allee
disappear usually suggests only the passing from sight or thought, other implications depending on context, although it is often interchangeable with vanish
the man seemed to disappear before his eyes
what caused the Hohokam culture to disappear suddenly around 1400 … is a mystery — R.W.Murray
farming is rapidly disappearing because of poor marketing conditions — American Guide Series: New Hampshire
this document has disappeared from the files — R.M.Lovett
fade , often with out or away, stresses a gradual diminution in clearness or distinctness, usually to an ultimate disappearance
the old myth … had faded from the minds of men — Agnes Repplier
the shouting on shore faded to a whispering — Kenneth Roberts
the trade routes fell into disuse and the towns faded out of existence — Anne Dorrance
the earlier beauty of the piece had faded away over the years
II. noun
( -es )
1. : a disappearance or an act of causing something to disappear
this vanish … has been used by generations of magicians — Jean Hugard
2. : the relatively faint latter part of a speech sound (as a falling diphthong)