tansy

[ tan-zee ]

/ ˈtæn zi /

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noun, plural tan·sies.

any of several composite plants of the genus Tanacetum, especially a strong-scented, weedy, Old World herb, T. vulgare, having flat-topped clusters of tubular yellow flowers.

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Origin of tansy

1225–75; Middle English <Old French tanesie, aphetic variant of atanesie<Medieval Latin athanasia<Greek athanasía immortality, equivalent to a-a-⁶ + thánat(os) death (see Thanatos) + -ia-y³, with ti<si

Words nearby tansy

tanorexic, tanrec, tan rot, Tans, tan someone's hide, tansy, tansy ragwort, Tanta, tantalate, tantalic, tantalic acid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tansy in a sentence

She had one in her hand now, and was wondering if ever any one had a dress of green velvet, tansy-color, with gold buttons.
Narcissa, or the Road to Rome|Laura E. Richards
Later she went out beside the west fence and gathered an armful of tansy which she boiled to a thick green tea.
A Girl Of The Limberlost|Gene Stratton Porter
Plants of pinnated leaves, as the Tansy, are more sensible than these to the effects of light.
Epidemics Examined and Explained: or, Living Germs Proved by Analogy to be a Source of Disease|John Grove
Tansy tea; Infusum tanaceti, L. From the dried herb, or the green herb using double the quantity.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

The china asters bloomed; the sun drew out the odours of thyme and rue and tansy.
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for tansy

tansy

/ (ˈtænzɪ) /

noun plural -sies

any of numerous plants of the genus Tanacetum, esp T. vulgare, having yellow flowers in flat-topped clusters and formerly used in medicine and for seasoning: family Asteraceae (composites)

any of various similar plants

Word Origin for tansy

C15: from Old French tanesie, from Medieval Latin athanasia tansy (with reference to its alleged power to prolong life), from Greek: immortality

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