tantivy

[ tan-tiv-ee ]

/ tænˈtɪv i /

adverb

at full gallop: to ride tantivy.

adjective

swift; rapid.

noun, plural tan·tiv·ies.

a gallop; rush

interjection

(used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed.)

Nearby words

tantalum, tantalus, tantalus monkey, tantamount, tantara, tantivy, tanto, tantra, tantric, tantrika, tantrism

Origin of tantivy

First recorded in 1635–45; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tantivy

As he spoke, clear and sweet the tantivy came floating down the hill and over the water.
The Serf|Guy Thorne
The schooner “Tantivy” of this port went ashore on Kessingland beach during a dense snowstorm.
Chronological Retrospect of the History of Yarmouth and Neighbourhood|William Finch-Crisp
My father may grumble over his beer jugs, but he's a Churchman and a Tantivy for all that.
Micah Clarke|Arthur Conan Doyle
He was a Tory of the highest sort, such as in the cant of his age was called a Tantivy.
Critical and Historical Essays, Volume III (of 3)|Thomas Babington Macaulay

Littlebath, among the Tantivy hills, would be the very place for her.
Miss Mackenzie|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for tantivy

tantivy

/ (tænˈtɪvɪ) /

adverb

at full speed; rapidly

noun

plural -tivies a hunting cry, esp at full gallop

interjection

a hunting cry, esp at full gallop

Word Origin for tantivy

C17: perhaps imitative of galloping hooves

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