fictionary

English

WOTD – 9 October 2015

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɪkʃəˌnɛɹi/
• IPA^(key): /ˈfɪkʃənəɹi/, /ˈfɪkʃənɹi/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

Etymology 1

From fiction +‎ -ary.

Adjective

fictionary (not comparable)

1. Fictional.
   • 1853, Mary Anna Needell, Ada Gresham‎^[1], page 53:

     I used to spend my mornings in the large, deserted drawing-room, whose charm was not yet broken, inditing ardent letters, into which my whole soul undisguised, was breathed to an imaginary friend; or writing some fragmentary sketches of the life of some fictionary favourite of fortune, in whose fate I always foreshadowed my own.

   • 1869, The Cornhill Magazine, Volume XIX: January to June, 1869, page 37,

     Lastly, there were not a few scholars who, discarding the idea that myths were purely fictionary, and admitting a basis of reality, yet found that basis not in historical occurrence but in natural phenomena.

   • 1882, Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Volume 38, page 53,

     Omitting, for the occasion, all thought of Anglo-Saxon literary remains, histories, chronicles, theological, fictionary, and scientific works, the entire number of documentary evidences, such as charters, wills, etc., of the Saxon period in England is very limited.

   • 1907, Kemp Plummer Battle, History of the University of North Carolina: From its beginning to the death of President Swain, 1789-1868‎^[2], volume 1, page 574:

     Showing a lady into a library in which were alcoves, the books being arranged by subjects, he said, "Now, Miss Mary, I will show you the concave^[sic] of fictionary novels."'

Etymology 2

Blend of fiction +‎ dictionary.

Alternative forms

• Fictionary

Noun

fictionary (countable and uncountable, plural fictionaries)

1. A parlor game in which participants invent definitions for an unfamiliar word found in a dictionary, and as one person reads them out, the others try to guess which one is the correct definition.
   • 2001, Susannah Seton, 365 Simple Pleasures‎^[3], page 14:

     I generally hate playing games, but recently I was introduced to one that I think is actually fun: fictionary.

   • 2007, David Elkind, The Power of Play: Learning What Comes Naturally‎^[4], page 190:

     One of our favorites is Fictionary, which we play on holidays or during storms.

   • 2010, Wanda Urbanska, The Heart of Simple Living: 7 Paths to a Better Life‎^[5], page 223:

     Turns out, it's reminiscent of the game of Fictionary that was the hit of a recent Thanksgiving at my home (see below).

2. (countable, rare) A dictionary with contrived entries.
   • 1980, Gyles Daubeney Brandreth, The Joy of Lex: How to Have Fun with 860,341,500 Words, New York: Morrow, →ISBN, page 269:

     Daffynitions appear in fictionaries, not dictionaries, and they add hidden dimensions to the words they describe.

   • 2019 May 27, Eley Williams, “From anemoia to zagreb: how ‘fictionaries’ are liberating the word”, in The Guardian‎^[6]:

     From anemoia to zagreb: how ‘fictionaries’ are liberating the word [title]