tansy

Etymology

From Old French tanesie, tanoisie et al., aphetic form of athanasie, from Medieval Latin athanasia, from Ancient Greek ἀθανασία (athanasía, “immortality”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtanzi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtæn.zi/

Noun

tansy (countable and uncountable, plural tansies)

1. A herbaceous plant with yellow flowers, of the genus Tanacetum, especially Tanacetum vulgare.
   • 1913, DH Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Penguin 2006, p. 365:

     The sunny afternoon was there, like another land. By the path grew tansy and little trees.

2. (uncountable, obsolete) A dish common in the seventeenth century, made of eggs, sugar, rose water, cream, and the juice of herbs (including tansy), baked with butter in a shallow dish.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Pepys to this entry?)

Anagrams

• -nasty, Santy, Yants, antsy, nasty