Now rare. Also 7 vaustity. [ad. L. vastitās or F. vastité (= It. vastità, Sp. vastedad): see VAST a. and -ITY.]
† 1. The fact or quality of being desolate, waste, void or empty. Obs.
1545. Joye, Exp. Dan., ix. 162 b. Aftir the batails were done there remayned a perpetuall vastite & desolacion.
1586. Ferne, Blaz. Gentrie, 49. Hauing warre and discorde as the causes of destruction, vastity and penurye.
1592. Nashe, P. Penilesse, Wks. (Grosart), II. 25. Finding nothing but emptines and vastitie.
1618. J. Taylor (Water P.), Penniless Pilgr., Wks. (1630), 130/2. Hee therefore did replenish the vaustity of my empty purse.
1622. Peacham, Compl. Gent., 69. Earthquakes … upon the face of the Earth, raising of it in one place, leaving Gulfes and Vastitie in another.
1651. Raleigh’s Ghost, 174. The army of the Gentiles causing desolation, and vastity, shall … destroy the City.
2. The quality of being vast or immense; vastness, vastitude.
1603. Florio, Montaigne, II. xii. 345. In considering the clowdy vastitie and gloomie canapies of our churches.
1635. Heywood, Hierarchy, I. 4. Th’ unbounded Sea and Vastite of shore, All these expresse a Godhead to adore.
1657. Tomlinson, Renou’s Disp., 403*. The Dead Sea because of its vastity … remains immovable.
transf. 1654. Cokaine, Dianea, III. 255. This [Kingdom] of Cyprus is sufficient to satiate the vastitie of these thoughts.
1859. Adolph, Simplicity Creation, Pref. (ed. 2), p. vii. The fifth [reader of my MS.] had read a great part of my work, admired the vastity of physical knowledge embodied therein.
3. A vast or immense space. rare–1.
1652. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 17. Witness the manie sandie parts of Africa and the immense vastities of the new world.
