*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nance

From nancy. As a verb, cf. prance, dance, and mince.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of nancy (“an effeminate male homosexual”).

verb

To move in a prissy or stereotypically effeminate manner.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From nancy. As a verb, cf. prance, dance, and mince.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
    [
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      "nancy#English"
    ],
    [
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      "prance#English"
    ],
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      "dance",
      "dance#English"
    ],
    [
      "mince",
      "mince#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of nancy (“an effeminate male homosexual”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      ],
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        "slang",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A large shrub or small tree of subtropical and tropical areas of the Americas, Byrsonima crassifolia, bearing a small, sweet, yellow fruit.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From American Spanish nance, from Classical Nahuatl.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionnancees
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "nance"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish nance"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "nci",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Nahuatl"
    }
  ],
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A large shrub or small tree of subtropical and tropical areas of the Americas, Byrsonima crassifolia, bearing a small, sweet, yellow fruit."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nance →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
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