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fancy

UK/ˈfæn.si/ US/ˈfænsi/ common formal informal slang uk
verb (2) adjective (1) noun (3)

verb

1.

imagine; conceive of; see in one''s mind

  • “I can”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
2.

have a fancy or particular liking or desire for

  • “She fancied a necklace that she had seen in the jeweler”
Synonyms

adjective

1.

not plain; decorative or ornamented

  • “fancy handwriting”
  • “fancy clothes”
Antonyms
Similar

noun

1.

something many people believe that is false

  • “they have the illusion that I am very wealthy”
Synonyms
2.

fancy was held by Coleridge to be more casual and superficial than imagination

3.

a predisposition to like something

  • “he had a fondness for whiskey”
Synonyms

Origin

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”), 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.

Phrases

  • blood-red fancy
  • border fancy
  • catch someone's fancy
  • fancy ball
  • fancy bread
  • fancy Dan
  • fancy dress
  • Fancy Dutch
  • fancy fair
  • fancy girl
  • fancy goods
  • fancy is as fancy does

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Related verbs

Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.