English
fancy
Fancy comes from Middle English fansy, a contraction of fantasie, from Old French fantasie, ultimately from Greek φαντασία ‘appearance’ and PIE *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₂-n-yé-tireconstructedthematic yé-present of *bʰeh₂-
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáňňō‘to appear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφαίνωphaínō‘to make visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφαντόςphantós‘visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφαντάζωphantázō‘to render visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφαντασίαphantasía‘appearance, display’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEphantasia‘an idea, notion, fancy’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fantasia
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fantasie‘fantasy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fantasie
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500fansy
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596fancy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to shine’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₂-n-yé-tireconstructedthematic yé-present of *bʰeh₂-
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáňňō‘to appear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφαίνωphaínō‘to make visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφαντόςphantós‘visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφαντάζωphantázō‘to render visible’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφαντασίαphantasía‘appearance, display’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEphantasia‘an idea, notion, fancy’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fantasia
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fantasie‘fantasy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fantasie
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500fansy
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596fancy
Earliest quotation: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame: “For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine’
phone, focus, professor, fuel, ben, famous, favourite, favor, photographer, ban, profession, bee, fate, fame, confession, fabulous, confess, fatal, fairy, abandon, symphony, beacon, beck, infant, boon, eff, prophetic, foyer, buoy, fab, profess, bane, bene, fay, fable, banish, nefarious, prophesy, cacophony, infamy, 116 more
through Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō ‘to make appear’
through Ancient Greek φαίνω ‘to make visible’
emphasis, phenomenon, phantom, epiphany, phenomenology, phenol, phenom, tryptophan, phantasm, 42 more
through Late Latin phantasia ‘an idea, notion, fancy, phantasm’
through Old French fantasie ‘fantasy’
Another origin of fancy
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fantasier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fancien
- Englishtodayfancy
Today it means
noun The imagination.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / fancy