expectancy

[ik-spek-tuh n-see]

noun, plural ex·pect·an·cies.

the quality or state of expecting; expectation; anticipatory belief or desire.
the state of being expected.
an object of expectation; something expected.

Also ex·pect·ance.

Origin of expectancy

From the Medieval Latin word ex(s)pectantia, dating back to 1590–1600. See expectant, -ancy

Can be confusedexpectancy expectation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for expectancies

prospect, outlook, probability, calculation, prediction, supposition, suspense, trust, surmise, presumption, confidence, reliance, assumption, presentation, assurance, conjecture, belief, expectation, likelihood, presentiment

Examples from the Web for expectancies

Historical Examples of expectancies

Girls of sixteen or thereabout are prone to expectancies of this kind.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 95, September 1865
Various
The process intensifies as expectancies of better life for less effort become predominant.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
But as yet these expectancies were not considered property in the full sense of the word.
A History of Trade Unionism in the United States
Selig Perlman
And presently across the room, her eyes met her mother's, and their two expectancies touched.
Lady Merton, Colonist
Mrs. Humphry Ward
That an unlimited number of expectancies are granted, and many are given for the same office to different persons.
A Source Book for Mediaeval History
Oliver J. Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for expectancies

expectancy

expectance

noun

something expected, esp on the basis of a norm or averagehis life expectancy was 30 years
anticipation; expectation
the prospect of a future interest or possession, esp in propertyan estate in expectancy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for expectancies

expectancy

1590s, from Latin expectantia (see expectant) + -ancy.