pansy

See also:Pansy

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Frenchpensée(“thought”),as the plant resembles someone that is in deep thought, with a lowered head.Doubletofpensée.

Pronunciation

• Audio(General Australian):

  (file)

• IPA^(key):/ˈpæn.zi/
• Rhymes:-ænzi

Purple pansy

Noun

pansy(pluralpansies)

1. Acultivatedfloweringplant,derived by hybridization within speciesViola tricolor.
   • 1697,Virgil,“The SecondPastoral.Or, Alexis.”, inJohn Dryden,transl.,The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis.[…],London:[…]Jacob Tonson,[…],→OCLC,page 6:

     The Daughters of the Flood have ſearch'd the Mead / For Violets pale, and cropt the Poppy's Head: / The ShortNarciſſusand fair Daffodil, /Panciesto pleaſe the Sight, and Caſſia ſvveet to ſmell:[…]

   • 1920,Katherine Mansfield[pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “Revelations”, inBliss and Other Stories,London:Constable & Company,published1920,→OCLC,page271:

     Oh, what a perfect thought. Lilies-of-the-valley, and whitepansies,double white violets and white velvet ribbon… From an unknown friend.… From one who understands.… For a Little Girl.

2. A deep purple colour, like that of the pansy.

   pansy:

3. Any of variousnymphalidbutterflies of thegenusJunonia.

   Synonym:argus

4. (derogatory,colloquial)Atimid,weak man or boy; awuss.

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:milksop

5. (derogatory,colloquial,dated)A malehomosexual,especially one who iseffeminate.

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:male homosexual,Thesaurus:effeminate man

Alternative forms

• pancy(obsolete)

Derived terms

• Bertoloni's pansy
• chocolate pansy
• horned pansy
• nansy pansy
• pansy orchid
• pansy shell
• sea pansy

Translations

plant

• Bulgarian:трицве́тна темену́гаf(tricvétna temenúga)
• Catalan:pensament(ca)m,pensamentera(ca)f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Tam sắc cẩn(zh)(sānsèjǐn)

• Czech:maceška(cs)f
• Dutch:viooltje(nl)n,reuzenvioolmorf
• Finnish:orvokki(fi),tarhaorvokki
• French:pensée(fr)f
• Galician:pensamento(gl)m
• Georgian:იაჟუჟუნა(iažužuna)
• German:Stiefmütterchen(de)n
• Greek:πανσές(el)m(pansés)
• Hebrew:אַמְנוֹן וְתָמָר(he)m(amnón vetamár)
• Hindi:बनफशा(hi)m(banaphśā)
• Hungarian:árvácska(hu)
• Irish:goirmínm
• Italian:pansé
• Japanese:パンジー(ja)(panjī),Tam sắc cận(ja)(さんしきすみれ, sanshikisumire)
• Korean:팬지(paenji)
• Norman:penséef,des faches dé catfpl
• Persian:بنفشه سهرنگ
• Plautdietsch:Steefmurrakjef
• Polish:bratek(pl)m
• Portuguese:amor-perfeito(pt)m
• Punjabi:ਪੈਂਜ਼ੀ(paĩzī)
• Romanian:pansea(ro)f,panseluță(ro)f
• Russian:аню́тины гла́зки(ru)mpl(anjútiny glázki)
• Spanish:pensamiento(es)m
• Swedish:pensé(sv)
• Turkish:bahçe menekşesi
• Welsh:trilliwm,fioled drilliwf

colour

• Finnish:orvokinsininen
• French:mauve(fr)m,indigo(fr)m
• Russian:фиоле́товый(ru)(fiolétovyj)

informal:coward or weak person

• Dutch:schijtlijster(nl)m
• French:fiotte(fr)f
• Italian:mammoletta,femminuccia(it),coniglio(it),merlo(it),pollo(it),smidollato(it),pappa molle,pappamolle,rammollito(it),fifone(it),codardo(it),cortigiano(it),mollusco(it),vigliacco(it),pusillanime(it),eunuco(it),debole(it)m,pisciasotto(it),cacasotto(it),pauroso(it),vile(it),checca(it),frocio(it),ricchione(it),finocchio(it)
• Polish:baba(pl)f
• Russian:хлюпик(ru)m(xljupik),слабак(ru)m(slabak)

Adjective

pansy(notcomparable)

1. Wimpy;spineless;feeble.
2. Of a deep purple colour, like that of the pansy.

Derived terms

• blue pansy
• pansified
• pansification
• wild pansy

Related terms

• pensive
• poise
• peso

Translations

colour

• Hindi:बनफ्शई(hi)(banaphśaī)
• Russian:фиоле́товый(ru)(fiolétovyj)

Verb

pansy(third-person singular simple presentpansies,present participlepansying,simple past and past participlepansied)

1. (slang,intransitive,usually with "around" or "about")Tomess about;to fail to get things done.

See also

• heartsease
• Johnny-jump-up
• Appendix:Colors

Further reading

• “pansyn.”,inGreen’s Dictionary of Slang,Jonathon Green,2016–present
• “pansyadj.”,inGreen’s Dictionary of Slang,Jonathon Green,2016–present