Adjacent Words

Pansy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PAN'SY, n. A plant and flower of the genus Viola; the viola tricolor, or garden violet.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: large-flowered garden plant derived chiefly from the wild pansy of Europe and having velvety petals of various colors [syn: pansy, Viola tricolor hortensis]
2: a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive [syn: sissy, pantywaist, pansy, milksop, Milquetoast]
3: offensive term for an openly homosexual man [syn: fagot, faggot, fag, fairy, nance, pansy, queen, queer, poof, poove, pouf]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural pansies) Etymology: Middle English pancy, pensee, from Middle French pensée, from pensée thought, from feminine of pensé, past participle of penser to think, from Latin pensare to ponder — more at pensive Date: 15th century 1. a garden plant (Viola wittrockiana) derived chiefly from the hybridization of the European Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) with other wild violets; also its flower 2. a. usually disparaging a weak or effeminate man or boy b. usually disparaging a male homosexual II. adjective Date: 1929 usually disparaging effeminate 1; also homosexual

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 any garden plant of the genus Viola, with flowers of various rich colours. 2 colloq. derog. a an effeminate man. b a male homosexual. Etymology: F pensée thought, pansy f. penser think f. L pensare frequent. of pendere pens- weigh

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pansy Pan"sy, n.; pl. Pansies. [F. Pens['e]e thought, pansy, fr. penser to think, L. pensare to weigh, ponder. See Pensive.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Viola (V. tricolor) and its blossom, originally purple and yellow. Cultivated varieties have very large flowers of a great diversity of colors. Called also heart's-ease, love-in-idleness, and many other quaint names.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heart's-ease Heart's"-ease`, n. 1. Ease of heart; peace or tranquillity of mind or feeling. --Shak. 2. (Bot.) A species of violet (Viola tricolor); -- called also pansy.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pansies) 1. A pansy is a small brightly coloured garden flower with large round petals. N-COUNT 2. If someone describes a man as a pansy, they mean that he is a homosexual. (INFORMAL, OFFENSIVE, OLD-FASHIONED) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. (Bot.) Heart's-ease, garden violet (Viola tricolor).

Moby Thesaurus

Milquetoast, auntie, baby, bi-guy, big baby, bisexual, bull dyke, butch, catamite, chicken, crybaby, doormat, dull tool, dyke, fag, faggot, fairy, femme, flit, fricatrice, fruit, gunsel, gutless wonder, homo, homophile, homosexual, homosexualist, invert, invertebrate, jellyfish, lesbian, lightweight, meek soul, milksop, mollycoddle, namby-pamby, nance, nebbish, nonentity, pantywaist, pathic, punk, pushover, queen, queer, sad sack, sapphist, sissy, softling, softy, sop, tribade, weak sister, weakling