Pansied

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A flowering plant with rounded petals that come in various colors, which additionally describes an individual demonstrating stereotypically feminine behavior or appearance
2. Known for its striking and diverse blooms, a certain plant symbolizes beauty, while also referring to a person who displays effeminacy or gentleness in character
3. A vibrant flowering plant recognized for its colorful blossoms, it also denotes a person who exhibits delicate, gentle traits or traditionally feminine mannerisms

Etymology: "Pansied" is simply "pansy" with the suffix "-ed" added, so the word is a plain formation rather than a story of its own. A pansy is a garden flower whose name comes from the French "pensée," meaning "thought," a reference to the flower's face-like markings that seemed to be pondering something. English took the flower's name from that French word, and "-ed" was then attached to it to describe a bed, border or lawn that is covered with the blooms. The suffix "-ed" works here as it does in words like "flowered" or "grassed," turning a noun into an adjective meaning "furnished with" or "covered in" the thing named. The word therefore describes ground or a space rather than the flower itself, and it is most often used in gardening or descriptive writing about springtime beds.

Synonyms: fanciful, flamboyant, ornate, decorative, elaborate

Antonyms: plain, simple, unadorned, austere, drab