vaina

See also: vainā, vaiņa, vaiņā, and väinä

Bilur

Noun

vaina

1. woman

Further reading

• Ross, Malcolm (1988), Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia (Pacific Linguistics; C-98)‎^[2], Canberra, ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin vēna. Compare Romansh avaina, Italian vena, Romanian vână, French veine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈβaina/

Noun

vaina f

1. vein

Latvian

Alternative forms

• (dialectal forms) vaine, vaiņa

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *wei-, *wai- (with an added suffix -nā-), from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- (“to move, go ahead; to be strong”).

Cognates include Lithuanian vainóti (“to criticize, to scold”) (compare archaic Lithuanian vaina (“error, transgression”)), Old Prussian etwinūt (“to blame”) (maybe a borrowing from Slavic), Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian вина́ (viná), Belarusian віна́ (viná, “fault, guilt, transgression”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vāīna]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

vaina f (4th declension)

1. fault, guilt (an offense punishable according to the law; behavior or conduct with bad consequences)

   pierādīta vaina ― proven guilt

   vainas apziņa ― awareness of guilt

   neapzināties savu vainu ― to be unaware of, not acknowledge one's guilt

   atzīt savu vainu ― to plead guilty

   noliegt savu vainu ― to deny one's guilt, to plead not guilty

   vainu mīkstinoši apstākļi ― mitigating circumstances

   vainu pastiprinoši apstākļi ― aggravating circumstances

   būt pie vainas ― to be to blame

2. defect, imperfection, flaw, fault

   viņa darbs ir bez vainas ― his work is without flaw

   tā ir maza vaina! ― this is a small flaw!

   šai drānai nav nekādas vainas ― this fabric has no flaw

   kas uzvalkam vaina? ― what is the problem with the suit?

   aparātam ir kāda vaina, ka tas nedarbojas ― the machine has some problem, it doesn't work

3. disease, ailment, wound

   viņi visas vainas ārstējot ar zāļu tējām' ― they treat all diseases with herbal teas

   sūdzēties par visādām vainām ― to complain about all kinds of ailments

   izmazgāt vainas ― to wash one's wounds

4. cause

   ja viņš nestrādā, tad tā ir tikai slinkuma vaina ― if he doesn't work, it is only because of laziness

Declension

Declension of vaina (4th)

	singular	plural
nominative	vaina	vainas
genitive	vainas	vainu
dative	vainai	vainām
accusative	vainu	vainas
instrumental	vainu	vainām
locative	vainā	vainās
vocative	vaina	vainas

Derived terms

• vaininieks, vaininiece
• vainīgs, vainīgums, vainība
  • nevainīgs, nevainīgums, nevainība
• vainot, vainoties

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wāgīnā

Latin vāgīna

Old Spanish vayna

Spanish vaina

From Old Spanish vayna (“sheath”), inherited from Latin vāgīna (“sheath”). Doublet of vagina. Cognate with Sicilian vajina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaina/ [ˈbai̯.na]
• Rhymes: -aina
• Syllabification: vai‧na

Noun

vaina f (plural vainas)

1. scabbard, sheath
2. case, casing
   • 2005, Vsevolod Smirnoff, Recuerdos de una astilla, page 11:

     Entre los dos yacía en el piso una vaina de cartucho de revólver.

     On the floor between the two lay a revolver cartridge case.

3. (botany) pod
   • 1915, Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y Supersticiones Recogidos de la Tradición Oral Chilena, page 274:

     La persona que encuentre una vaina de arveja que contenga nueve semillas, debe guardarla, pues es presagio de buena fortuna.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. (figurative) bubble; an insulating or isolated environment.
5. (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, vulgar, colloquial) thing

   Synonyms: cosa, verga, mierda, madre

6. (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, colloquial) hickey
7. (slang) worthless person
8. (Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, Burgos, La Rioja, Navarre) green bean

   Synonyms: judía verde, poroto verde

Derived terms

• vaina de mielina
• vainilla

Descendants

• → Tagalog: bayna

Further reading

• “vaina”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025