Befancy

/bɪˈfænsi/ verb

Definition

To decorate or dress up fancily; to make something fancy or ornate.

Etymology

From the prefix 'be-' (Old English, indicating transformation or causation) combined with 'fancy' (from Middle English 'fancye,' meaning imagination or decoration). The 'be-' prefix transforms the adjective into a causative verb.

Kelly Says

Befancy is a ghost word—logical enough that you can understand it immediately, but so obscure that most English speakers have never encountered it, showing how productive prefixes can leave behind words that should exist but nobody uses.

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