Vast
/væst/noun
Very large in size, extent, or amount.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *vastus*, which could mean not just “empty” or “waste” but also “desolate” and “devastating,” giving the modern word a shadow of ruin beneath its scale.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*u̯eh₂- / *u̯es-
“To be empty, wide-open, or desolate”
Latin
Latin
vastus
“Empty, unoccupied, desolate; also huge or immense”
Latin
Latin
vastāre
“To lay waste, ravage, devastate”
Old French
Old French
vaste
“Waste, barren, huge, immense”
Middle English
English
vast
“Waste, desolate; later, enormous in extent”
Modern English
English
vast
“Very large in size, extent, or amount”