Fantasticates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Indulges in fanciful, far-fetched imaginings and daydreams that drift away from reality
2. Lets the mind wander into elaborate, whimsical visions that have little basis in the real world
3. Dwells on extravagant and unrealistic fancies, building imaginary scenes in the mind

Etymology: "Fantasticate" is a plain formation: the adjective "fantastic" with the verb-forming suffix "-ate," as in "activate" or "dominate." "Fantastic" itself came into English through Middle French "fantastique" from Late Latin "phantasticus," which traces back to the Greek "phantastikos," meaning "able to present to the mind" or "imaginary." The Greek root comes from "phantazein," to make visible, and ultimately from "phainein," to show or bring to light, so the idea of imagination began as something like making a picture appear before the eyes. The suffix "-ate" is inherited through Latin "-atus," the ending that turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to act upon." Attaching it to "fantastic" gives a verb meaning to treat something as a fantasy, or to indulge in flights of imagination. The result is a rare, slightly old-fashioned word, the sort that suits a writer describing a daydreamer who is always inventing something new.

Synonyms: fantasize, imagine, daydream, dream