Fancy
/ˈfæn.si/noun
A feeling of liking or attraction towards something or someone; also a whim or imagination.
Did you know?The term 'fancy' originally referred to a supernatural power of imagination, believed to influence desires and appearances, linking it to enchantment and illusion.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
fancy
“A name for the power of imagination, often with connotations of whimsy and desire.”
Old French
French
fantaisie
“A playful imagination or caprice.”
Late Latin
Latin
fantasia
“Imagination, a concept related to the mind's ability to form images.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phantasia
“The faculty of perception or imagination, often associated with visions or phantoms.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰendʰ-
“To bind or to weave, suggesting a connection between thought and creation.”