vantage

See also: vantagé

English

Alternative forms

• vauntage (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English vantage, by apheresis from advantage; see advantage.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑːntɪd͡ʒ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

vantage (countable and uncountable, plural vantages)

1. (archaic) An advantage.
   • 1841, John Foxe, The History of John Wickliffe, page 21:

     The Londoners seeing that they could get no vantage against the duke, who was without their reach, to bewreak their anger they took his arms, which in most despiteful wise they hanged up in the open places of the city in sign of reproach, as for a traitor; […]

2. A place or position affording a good view; a vantage point.
   • 1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149:

     From this point of vantage, we were able to gain an impression of the massive outlines of the main structure, and its intricate maze of girders.

3. A superior or more favorable situation or opportunity; gain; profit; advantage.
   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:

     O happy vantage of a kneeling knee!

4. (dated, tennis) Alternative form of advantage (score after deuce)

Usage notes

Largely obsolete outside the phrase vantage point.

Derived terms

• coigne of vantage
• coign of vantage
• vantage game

 

Translations

advantage

• Bulgarian: предимство (bg) (predimstvo), превъзходство (bg) (prevǎzhodstvo)
• Dutch: voordeel (nl)
• Faroese: fyrimunur m
• French: avantage (fr) m
• Georgian: უპირატესობა (uṗiraṭesoba)
• German: Vorteil (de) m
• Polish: przewaga (pl) f
• Russian: превосхо́дство (ru) n (prevosxódstvo), преиму́щество (ru) n (preimúščestvo)
• Spanish: ventaja (es) f

place or position affording a good view; a vantage point

• Bulgarian: удобна/изгодна позиция
• Dutch: bevoorrechte positie
• Finnish: näköalapaikka (fi), tähystyspaikka
• Georgian: სიმაღლე (simaɣle), მომგებიანი პოზიცია (momgebiani ṗozicia), ხელსაყრელი პოზიცია (xelsaq̇reli ṗozicia)
• German: Aussichtspunkt (de) m
• Indonesian: keuntungan (id), kelebihan (id)
• Italian: belvedere (it) m
• Maori: tūtainga
• Polish: punkt obserwacyjny m
• Russian: высота́ (ru) f (vysotá), удо́бная пози́ция f (udóbnaja pozícija), вы́годная пози́ция f (výgodnaja pozícija), наблюда́тельный пункт m (nabljudátelʹnyj punkt)
• Spanish: mirador (es) m

A superior or more favorable situation or opportunity; gain; profit; advantage

Verb

vantage (third-person singular simple present vantages, present participle vantaging, simple past and past participle vantaged)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To profit; to aid.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     needlesse feare did never vantage none

Further reading

• “vantage”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “vantage”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.