Search this site:

Definition of pansy


Reference


Word of the Day
exculpate
Definition: (verb) to free from blame or guilt.
Petersons.com
Add Word of the Day to your personalized My Yahoo! page:
Add to My Yahoo! View RSS Feed
About My Yahoo! and RSS »

 

pan·sy  audio  (pnz) KEY  

NOUN:
pl. pan·sies
  1. Any of various plants of the genera Achimenes or Viola, especially V. tricolor or its hybrids, having flowers with velvety petals of various colors.
  2. A deep to strong violet.
  3. Offensive Slang
    1. Used as a disparaging term for a man or boy who is considered effeminate.
    2. Used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English pancy, from Old French pensee, thought, remembrance, pansy, from feminine past participle of penser, to think ; see pensive


Visit our partner's site
Provided by Houghton Mifflin
logoeReference -- Download this interactive reference software to your desktop computer


Search Dictionary:

 More on Yahoo! Education
 • Online and On-Campus Degree Programs
    MBAs  -  Technology Management  -  Education  -  Health  -  More

 • College & Grad School - A Comprehensive Guide
    College Search  -  Test Prep  -  Application Tips  -  Scholarship Search
 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Other Important Information
-