Etymology Map
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Fancy

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means elaborate or decorative; a liking or whim; to want or imagine

Where does the word "fancy" come from? It comes from Greek phantasía, passing through Latin before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
phantasía
Greek · ancient
"imagination"
'appearance, imagination', from phainein 'to show'; Aristotle's On the Soul analyses phantasia as the mind's power to form images
2
Stage 2 of 3
phantasia
Latin · classical
"mental image"
Quintilian recommends the orator summon vivid phantasiae, mental pictures, to move an audience
3
Stage 3 of 3
fancy
English · 1400s
"imagination; whim; ornate"
via Old French fantasie English first got 'fantasy', and 'fancy' is its contraction; Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice (c. 1597) asks 'Tell me where is fancy bred'
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Read the full story

Fancy’s story begins in Greek: phantasía meant “imagination.” 'appearance, imagination', from phainein 'to show'; Aristotle's On the Soul analyses phantasia as the mind's power to form images. By classical, the word had taken hold in Latin as phantasia. Quintilian recommends the orator summon vivid phantasiae, mental pictures, to move an audience. It reached English by 1400s as fancy. Via Old French fantasie English first got 'fantasy', and 'fancy' is its contraction; Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice (c. 1597) asks 'Tell me where is fancy bred'. Today, fancy means elaborate or decorative; a liking or whim; to want or imagine.