tantivy

[ tan-tiv-ee ]

/ tænˈtɪv i /

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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.)

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Origin of tantivy

First recorded in 1635–45; origin uncertain; possibly onomatopoeic, representing the sound of horses galloping

Words nearby tantivy

Tantalus, tantalus monkey, tantamount, tantara, T antigen, tantivy, tant mieux, tanto, tant pis, Tantra, Tantric

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use tantivy in a sentence

The wild tantivy boy had vanished, and the sobriquet of "Tavern Knight" was fast becoming a misnomer.
The Tavern Knight|Rafael Sabatini
In the common-room one day sat as merry a company of carousers as ever gladdened the soul of an old tantivy boy.
The Tavern Knight|Rafael Sabatini
Is it strange that I became known as the wildest tantivy boy that rode with the King?
The Tavern Knight|Rafael Sabatini
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

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

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