pansy
Use Pansy in a sentence
zi noun, plural pan·sies.
1.
a violet, Viola tricolor hortensis, cultivated in many varieties, having richly and variously colored flowers.
2.
the flower of this plant.
3.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
a.
a male homosexual.
b.
a weak, effeminate, and often cowardly man.
Origin:
1490–1500; 1930–35 for def 3; < Middle French pensée pansy, literally, thought, noun use of feminine of past participle of penser to think < Latin pēnsāre to weigh, consider. See pensive
1490–1500; 1930–35 for def 3; < Middle French pensée pansy, literally, thought, noun use of feminine of past participle of penser to think < Latin pēnsāre to weigh, consider. See pensive
00:10
Pansy
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To pansy
Collins
World English Dictionary
pansy (ˈpænzɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -sies | |
| 1. | See also wild pansy any violaceous garden plant that is a variety of Viola tricolor, having flowers with rounded velvety petals, white, yellow, or purple in colour |
| 2. | slang, offensive an effeminate or homosexual man or boy |
| 3. | a. a strong violet colour |
| b. (as adjective): a pansy carpet | |
| [C15: from Old French pensée thought, from penser to think, from Latin pensāre] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pansy
c.1450, from M.Fr. pensée "a pansy," lit. "thought, remembrance," from fem. pp. of penser "to think," from L. pensare "consider," freq. of pendere "to weigh" (see pensive). So called because it was regarded as a symbol of thought or remembrance. Meaning "effeminate
homosexual man" is first recorded 1929.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Remove faded flowers from pansy plants to keep them blooming.
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
