fantasy

fantasy [fant′ə sē, fant′əzē]

n.

pl. fantasies [ME fantasie < OFr < L phantasia, idea, notion < Gr, appearance of a thing < phainein, to show, appear < IE base * bhā-, to gleam, shine > OE bonian, to ornament]

1. imagination or fancy; esp., wild, visionary fancy

2. an unnatural or bizarre mental image; illusion; phantasm

3. an odd notion; whim; caprice

4.

a) a work of fiction portraying highly IMAGINATIVE (sense 3) characters or settings that have no counterparts in the real world

b) such works, collectively, as a literary form; specif., those works dealing with dragons, elves, ghosts, etc.

5. Music FANTASIA (sense 1a)

6. Psychol.

a) a more-or-less connected series of mental images, as in a daydream, usually involving some unfulfilled desire

b) the activity of forming such images

vt.

fantasied, fantasying

to form fantasies about

vi.

to indulge in fantasies, as by daydreaming

adj.

1. of or like a fantasy

2. of or pertaining to any of various games in which scoring is keyed statistically to the performances of actual players in a sport