noun pl. fancies
- imagination, now esp. light, playful, or whimsical imagination
- illusion or delusion
- a mental image
- an arbitrary idea; notion; caprice; whim
- an inclination, liking, or fondness, often transient: to take a fancy to someone
- Rare critical taste or judgment in art, dress, etc.
Origin:
ME fantsy, contr. < fantasie: see fantasy
adjective fancier, fanciest
- based on fancy; capricious; whimsical; fanciful
- higher than real value; extravagant: a fancy price
- made or added to please the fancy; ornamental; decorated; not plain; elaborate: a fancy necktie
- of superior skill; intricate and difficult: fancy diving
- of superior quality, and therefore more expensive: canned goods graded fancy
- bred for some special feature or excellence of type: said of animals
transitive verb fancied, fancying
- to form an idea of; imagine
- to have a liking for; be fond of: to fancy rich desserts
- to believe something without being sure; suppose: they are, I fancy, still friends