Fantasist
/ˈfæntəsɪst/noun
A person who habitually gives free rein to imagination or creates fantasies.
Did you know?Fantasist ultimately descends from Greek phantasia, meaning an appearance or presentation to the mind, linking imagination linguistically with the act of making something seem visible.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeh₂-
“To shine or appear bright; the reconstructed root behind later words connected with showing and visibility.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phaínō
“I show, make visible, or bring to light.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phantasía
“An appearance, presentation, imagination, or mental image.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
phantasia
“Imagination, mental image, or appearance; borrowed from Greek.”
19th Century
French
fantasiste
“A fantasist or person inclined toward fantasy; formed from the French fantasy vocabulary.”
19th Century
English
fantasist
“A person who indulges in fantasy or imaginative invention; adopted into English from the French form.”
Explore more surprising origins