fancy

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English[edit]

English Wikipedia has articles on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈfæn.si/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ænsi

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English fansy, fantsy, a contraction of fantasy, fantasye, fantasie, from Old French fantasie, from Medieval Latin fantasia, from Late Latin phantasia (“an idea, notion, fancy, phantasm”), from Ancient Greek φαντασία (phantasía), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “to render visible”),[1] from φαντός (phantós, “visible”), from φαίνω (phaínō, “to make visible”); from the same root as φάος (pháos, “light”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂nyéti, from the root *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of fantasia, fantasy, phantasia, and phantasy.

Noun[edit]

fancy (plural fancies)

  1. The imagination.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book 5”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 100-103:
      […] But know that in the soul
      Are many lesser faculties, that serve
      Reason as chief; among these Fancy next
      Her office holds […]
    • 1842, Alfred Tennyson, Locksley Hall
      In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish’d dove; / In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
    • 1861, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, “A New Counterblast” in Atlantic Monthly, December 1861, p. 700,[1]
      Rustic females who habitually chew even pitch or spruce-gum are rendered thereby so repulsive that the fancy refuses to pursue the horror farther and imagine it tobacco […]
    • 1907, Barbara Baynton, Sally Krimmer; Alan Lawson, editors, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 221:
      For a time she could not soothe nor convince him that it was fancy.
  2. An image or representation of anything formed in the mind.
    Synonyms: conception, thought, idea
  3. An opinion or notion formed without much reflection.
    Synonym: impression
    • 1650, John Bulwer, Anthropometamorphosis: Man Transform’d, 2nd edition, London, 1653, Epistle Dedicatory, pp. 2-3,[2]
      When you have well viewed the Scenes and Devillish shapes of this Practicall Metamorphosis, and scan’d them in your serious thoughts, you will wonder at their audacious phant’sies, who seeme to hold Specificall deformities, or that any part can seeme unhandsome in their Eyes, which hath appeared good and beautifull unto their Maker […]
    • 1693, John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 13th edition, London, 1764, §148, p. 222, [3]
      I have always had a Fancy, that Learning might be made a Play and Recreation to Children […]
    • 1912, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World‎[4]:
      "I dare say I am merely a foolish woman with a young girl's fancies."
  4. A whim.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:whim
    I had a fancy to learn to play the flute.
  5. Love or amorous attachment.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:predilection
    • 1967, Sleigh, Barbara, Jessamy, 1993 edition, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 36:
      And they’ve taken a fancy to me, Aunt said. Kitto and the others. That means they like me.
    He took a fancy to her.
  6. The object of inclination or liking.
  7. Any sport or hobby pursued by a group.
    Synonyms: hobby; see also Thesaurus:hobby
    Trainspotting is the fancy of a special lot.
    the cat fancy
  8. The enthusiasts of such a pursuit.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fan
    He fell out of favor with the boxing fancy after the incident.
    • 1830, Thomas De Quincey, “Review of Life of Richard Bentley, D.D. by J.H. Monk, D.D.” in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 28, No. 171, September 1830, p. 446, footnote,[5]
      […] at a great book sale in London, which had congregated all the Fancy, on a copy occurring, not one of the company but ourself knew what the mystical title-page meant.
  9. A diamond with a distinctive colour.
  10. That which pleases or entertains the taste or caprice without much use or value.
  11. A bite-sized sponge cake, with a layer of cream, covered in icing.
    a French fancy; a fondant fancy; cream fancies
  12. (obsolete) A sort of love song or light impromptu ballad.
  13. In the game of jacks, a style of play involving additional actions (contrasted with plainsies).
    • 1970, Marta Weigle, Follow my fancy: the book of jacks and jack games (page 22)
      When you have mastered plainsies, the regular jack game, and have learned all the rules, you will be ready to use this part of the book. A fancy is a variation of plainsies which usually requires more skill than plainsies does.
    • 2002, Elizabeth Dana Jaffe, Sherry L. Field, Linda D. Labbo, Jacks (page 26)
      When you get good at jacks, try adding a fancy. A fancy is an extra round at the end of a game. It makes the game a little harder. Jack Be Nimble, Around the World, or Black Widow are some fancies.
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from fancy (noun)
Translations[edit]

Adjective[edit]

fancy (comparative fancier, superlative fanciest)

  1. Decorative, or featuring decorations, especially intricate or diverse ones.
    Synonyms: decorative, ornate
    Antonyms: plain, simple
    This is a fancy shawl.
  2. Of a superior grade.
    Synonym: high-end
    This box contains bottles of the fancy grade of jelly.
  3. Executed with skill.
    He initiated the game winning play with a fancy, deked saucer pass to the winger.
  4. (colloquial) Unnecessarily complicated.
    Synonym: highfalutin
    Antonym: simple
    I'm not keen on him and his fancy ideas.
  5. (obsolete) Extravagant; above real value.
    • 1859, Thomas Macaulay, The Life of Frederick the Great:
      This anxiety never degenerated into a monomania, like that which led his [Frederick the Great's] father to pay fancy prices for giants.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • → German: fancy
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: fancy
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: fancy

Adverb[edit]

fancy (not comparable)

  1. (nonstandard) In a fancy manner; fancily.
    • 1970, Troy Conway, The Cunning Linguist, London: Flamingo Books, page 131:
      I igonored it, hurdling her navel, riding her torso and taking both her breasts in my hands and mashing them none too fancy.

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English fancien, fantasien, fantesien, from Old French fantasier, from the noun (see above)).

Verb[edit]

fancy (third-person singular simple present fancies, present participle fancying, simple past and past participle fancied)

  1. (formal) To appreciate without jealousy or greed.
    I fancy your new car, but I like my old one just fine.
  2. (Britain) would like
    Synonym: feel like
    I fancy a burger tonight for dinner.
    Do you fancy going to town this weekend?
  3. (Britain, informal) To be sexually attracted to.
    Synonym: (US) like
    I fancy that girl over there.
  4. (dated or in a set phrase) To imagine, suppose.
    [dated] I fancy you'll want something to drink after your long journey.
    I fancy this is an error.
    Fancy meeting you here!
    Fancy that! I saw Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy kissing in the garden.
  5. To form a conception of; to portray in the mind.
    Synonym: imagine
  6. To have a fancy for; to like; to be pleased with, particularly on account of external appearance or manners.
  7. (transitive) To breed (animals) as a hobby.
    • 1973, American Pigeon Journal (page 159)
      I would recommend this little book very highly to anyone who fancies pigeons, novices and veterans alike.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “φαντασία”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Further reading[edit]

German[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fancy. Doublet of Fantasie.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. (colloquial, fashion) fancy
    Synonym: schick

Declension[edit]

Indeclinable.

Further reading[edit]

  • “fancy” in Duden online
  • “fancy” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fancy.

Adjective[edit]

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. fancy

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fancy.

Adjective[edit]

fancy (indeclinable)

  1. fancy

References[edit]

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