Forms: α. 5–7 fantasie, -ye, 5–6 fantesye, 6 fantase, -aise, 7 fant’sy, 5– fantasy. β. 6–7 phantasie, -y, (6 phantasey, 7 phantacy, -zy), 9 phantasy. [a. OF. fantasie-r, f. fantasie FANTASY sb.]
1. trans. = FANCY v. 1; rarely, to fantasy with oneself. Now arch. with the sense: To imagine in a visionary manner.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, Prol., 3.
| Thus men of craft may of due right | |
| That ben inuentife and haue experience, | |
| Fantasien in their inwarde syght | |
| Deuises newe through their excellence. |
1543. Grafton, Contn. Hardyng, 496. Dreames … his awne feare fantesieth.
1547–8. Ordre of Communion, 1. Euery manne phantasying and deuisyng a sondery waie by hymself.
1563–87. Foxe, A. & M. (1684), II. 23/1. It was not the same very present Body of Christ, as the Priests did phantasie.
a. 1577. Sir T. Smith, Commw. Eng (1609), 5. As wise men have diuided for understandings sake, and fantasied foure simple bodies which they call elements: as fire, ayre, water, earth, and in a mans body foure … temperatures, as cholericke, sanguine, flegmatique and melancholicke.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 182. The image of the yong gentleman was well phantazied in her brain.
1818. Keats, Endym., 508.
| And take a dream ’mong rushes Stygian, | |
| It could not be so phantasied. |
1855. Motley, Dutch Rep., II. 17. He fantasied in his imagination a kind of religion, half Catholic, half Reformed.
b. with obj. and inf. or object clause.
1430. Lydgate, Chronicle of Troy, I. ii.
| And daye by day cast and fantisyeth. | |
| How his venim may by some pursute, | |
| Vpon this Iason be fully execute. |
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. 51 a. Som dyd phantasey one thyng to be the cause and som an other.
1582. Bentley, Mon. Matrones, 77. Fantasing with themselves that I doo it … of hatred.
1661. Boyle, Style of Script. (1675), 51. The Syrian Leper … vainly fant’sied, that Gods appointment could not put a difference between things that knew no other.
c. absol. or intr.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. John x. 13. When there is a great daunger, they leaue traiterously the flocke to the woulf to be disperpled abrode and torne in pieces: for he fantasieth thus: In case thai go to wracke, what than? I haue no losse therby.
† 2. trans. To wear the appearance (φαντασία) of. Obs. rare–1.
c. 1611. Chapman, Iliad, XXIII. 60.
| Then of his wretched friend | |
| The soul appear’d; at every part the form did comprehend | |
| His likeness; his fair eyes, his voice, his stature, every weed | |
| His person wore, it fantasied, and stood above his head, | |
| This sad speech uttering. |
† 3. To take a fancy or liking to; to be favourably inclined to; to fall in love with. Also with inf., to ‘take it into one’s head’ (to do something). Cf. FANCY v. 8. Obs.
1548. Hall, Chron., 194 b. He … fauored her suyte, but muche more phantasied her person.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 4 b. As if one should phantasy to praise a Gose before any other beast.
1592. Warner, Alb. Eng., VII. xxxiv. (1612), 168. Death, late feared, now she fantaseth.
1641. Prynne, Antip., 79. That hee [the King] should neither phantasie nor regard the serious Petition of the importunate Commons.
absol. 1560. Becon, Treat. Fasting, xi. Wks. II. 89 b. Nether do they direct their fastes vnto any godly end, but as euery one fantasieth, so do they fast.
4. intr. To play fantasias; to extemporize. rare (but often in Carlyle).
1840. Carlyle, Wks. (1858), II. 323. He [Hoffmann] could fantasy to admiration on the harpsichord. Ibid. (1858), Fredk. Gt., II. X. vi. 650. Fantasying on the flute in an animated strain.
Hence Fantasying vbl. sb.
1543. Recorde, Gr. Artes (1561), Z v b. You should … not have taken a question of your owne fantasying.
1555. L. Saunders, Lett., in Coverdale, Lett. Martyrs (1564), 184. Do not advice your selues vnto the fantasing of the flesh-pottes of Egypte, most unthankfully relinquishyng the promised possession.
1607. Schol. Disc. agst. Antichrist, II. ix. 135. We are charged with a Corinthian fantasying of mens persons.
