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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for expectancies

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
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
And presently across the room, her eyes met her mother's, and their two expectancies touched.
Lady Merton, Colonist|Mrs. Humphry Ward
The process intensifies as expectancies of better life for less effort become predominant.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin

Girls of sixteen or thereabout are prone to expectancies of this kind.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 95, September 1865|Various

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.