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pansy

[ pan-zee ]
/ ˈpÊn zi /
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noun, plural pan·sies.
a violet, Viola tricolor hortensis, cultivated in many varieties, having richly and variously colored flowers.
the flower of this plant.
Slang.
  1. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.
  2. Offensive. a weak, effeminate, and often cowardly man.
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Origin of pansy

First recorded in 1490–1500, and in 1930–35 for def. 3; from Middle French pensĂ©e “pansy,” literally, “thought,” noun use of feminine of past participle of penser “to think,” from Latin pēnsāre “to weigh, consider”; see pensive

Other definitions for pansy (2 of 2)

Pansy
[ pan-zee ]
/ ˈpÊn zi /

noun
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pansy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pansy

pansy
/ (ˈpĂŠnzÉȘ) /

noun plural -sies
any violaceous garden plant that is a variety of Viola tricolor, having flowers with rounded velvety petals, white, yellow, or purple in colourSee also wild pansy
slang, offensive an effeminate or homosexual man or boy
  1. a strong violet colour
  2. (as adjective)a pansy carpet

Word Origin for pansy

C15: from Old French pensée thought, from penser to think, from Latin pensāre
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
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