expectancy

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /ɪkˈspɛktənsi/ UK /ɪkˈspɛktənsi/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the state of anticipating or expecting something to happen

The crowd waited in hushed expectancy for the conductor to raise his baton.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of anticipating... anticipation expectation hope suspense prospect likelihood

Opposites

resignation despair

Word family

Related forms expect expectant expectation

Etymology

From expect + -ancy, from Latin exspectare ('to look out for, await'), from ex- ('out') + spectare ('to look at'), frequentative of specere ('to look').

exspectare Latin specere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives

# expectancy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ɪkˈspɛktənsi
**IPA (UK):** ɪkˈspɛktənsi

## Meanings
1. the state of anticipating or expecting something to happen

## Examples
- The crowd waited in hushed expectancy for the conductor to raise his baton.

## Synonyms
- anticipation
- expectation
- hope
- suspense
- prospect
- likelihood

## Antonyms
- resignation
- despair

## Related Forms
- expect
- expectant
- expectation

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exspectare
- Root: specere

## Etymology
From expect + -ancy, from Latin exspectare ('to look out for, await'), from ex- ('out') + spectare ('to look at'), frequentative of specere ('to look').

## AI Etymology
Expectancy is from expect + -ancy, from Latin exspectare ('to look out for, await'), from ex- ('out') + spectare ('to look at'), frequentative of specere ('to look'). Important recorded forms include exspectare (Latin) and specere (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers the state of anticipating or expecting something to happen. The wider family includes related words such as expect, expectant, and expectation.

## Topics
- Law & Government
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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expectancy

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