Etymology Dictionary

VAUNT,  to boast, (F.,—L.)   'I vaunte, I boste, or crake, Ie me vante;' Palsgrave.   It is remarkable that the M.E. form was avaunten or auaunten, with a prefixed (unoriginal) a, not found (I think) in French, and perhaps due to confusion with F. avant, before, and avancer, to advance.   This M.E. auaunten occurs in Chaucer, C. T. 5985, and at least twice in Chaucer, tr. of Boethius, b. i. met. 1, l. 26, b. 1.pr. 4, l. 426; and hence the sb. auaunt, avaunt, auant, in Chaucer, C. T. 227, which Dr. Stratmann enters under vant, apparently under the impression that it is a misprint (six times repeated) in the Six-text edition.   However, the prefix is to be neglected.   Cf. vauntour, a vaunter, Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 724.—F. vanter; 'se vanter, to vaunt, brag, boast, glory, crack;' Cot.—Low Lat. vanitare, to speak vanity, flatter (Ducange); so that se vanter = to speak vainly of oneself.  Diez remarks that vanitare, to boast, occurs in S. Augustine, Opp. i. 437, 761.   This verb is a frequentative, formed from Lat. uanus, vain.   See Vain; and cf. Lat. uanitas, vanity.   Der. vaunt, sb., M.E. auaunte; vaunt-er, formerly avaunter, Court of Love, 1219.