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A kind of plain sweet cake seasoned with ginger, and sometimes made in fanciful shapes. "Gingerbread that was full fine." Chaucer. Gingerbread tree (Bot.), the doom palm; -- so called from the resemblance of its fruit to gingerbread. See Doom Palm. -- Gingerbread work, ornamentation, in architecture or decoration, of…

d as much greater or less, better or worse, than they really are; a statement exaggerated fancifully, through excitement, or for effect. Our common forms of compliment are almost all of them extravagant hyperboles. Blair. Somebody has said of the boldest figure in rhetoric, the hyperbole, that it lies without deceiving…

One given to fanciful ideas or theories; a theorist; a spectator. [R.] Mrs. Browning.

a quick imagination; conceptive; creative. Milton had a highly imaginative, Cowley a very fanciful mind. Coleridge.

ing island described in Gulliver's Travels as the home of chimerical philosophers. Hence, fanciful; preposterous; absurd in science or philosophy. "Laputan ideas." G. Eliot.

Adhering to facts; not turning aside from absolute realities; not fanciful or imaginative; commonplace; dry.

A figure which strikes the hour on the bell of some fanciful clocks; -- called also jack of the clock house.

or relating to myths; described in a myth; of the nature of a myth; fabulous; imaginary; fanciful. -- Myth"ic*al*ly, adv. The mythic turf where danced the nymphs. Mrs. Browning. Hengist and Horsa, Vortigern and Rowena, Arthur and Mordred, are mythical persons, whose very existence may be questioned. Macaulay.…

That which shines at night; -- a fanciful name for phosphorus.

Given to foolish or visionary expectations; whimsical; fanciful; as, a notional man.

Properly, printed calico, whether Oriental or of fanciful design with flowers, etc., in Western work. Hence, as extended in English, material of a similar character.

They are from the Mediterranean region, and have been much cultivated for hedges and for fancifully clipped shrubberies.

One who projects a scheme or design; hence, one who forms fanciful or chimerical schemes. L'Estrange.

Curious and fanciful; affected; odd; whimsical; antique; archaic; singular; unusual; as, quaint architecture; a quaint expression. Some stroke of quaint yet simple pleasantry. Macaulay. An old, long-faced, long-bodied servant in quaint livery. W. Irving.

Consisting of five; arranged by fives. Boyle. Quinary system (Zoöl.), a fanciful classification based on the hypothesis that each group contains five types.

Agreeable to reason; not absurd, preposterous, extravagant, foolish, fanciful, or the like; wise; judicious; as, rational conduct; a rational man.

To dress; to equip; to clothe, especially in an odd or fanciful manner; -- commonly followed by out. Jack was rigged out in his gold and silver lace. L'Estrange. To rig a purchase, to adapt apparatus so as to get a purchase for moving a weight, as with a lever, tackle, capstan, etc. -- To rig a ship (Naut.), to fit th…

Of or pertaining to romance or fable; fanciful. Romanesque style (Arch.), that which grew up from the attempts of barbarous people to copy Roman architecture and apply it to their own purposes. This term is loosely applied to all the styles of Western Europe, from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the appearance…

Of or pertaining to romance; involving or resembling romance; hence, fanciful; marvelous; extravagant; unreal; as, a romantic tale; a romantic notion; a romantic undertaking. Can anything in nature be imagined more profane and impious, more absurd, and undeed romantic, than such a persuasion South. Zeal for the good of…

The state or quality of being romantic; widness; fancifulness. Richardson.