Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

extimacy

/ˈɛkstɪməsi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
ex-tim-a-cy
IPA
/ˈɛkstɪməsi/
22
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

In the works of Jacques Lacan: the quality of being extimate.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

Calque of French extimité + English -cy (suffix forming nouns of condition, quality, or state). Extimité was coined by the French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981) in 1959–1960), probably from a blend of French externe (“external”) + intimité (“closeness, intimacy”). By surface analysis, extim(ate) + -acy.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɛkstɪməsi/
  • British English: /ˈɛkstɪməsi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

extimacies (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce extimacy?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛkstɪməsi/.
What does extimacy mean?
In the works of Jacques Lacan: the quality of being extimate.
Where does extimacy come from?
Calque of French extimité + English -cy (suffix forming nouns of condition, quality, or state). Extimité was coined by the French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981) in 1959–1960), probably from a blend of French externe (“external”) + intimité (“closeness, intimacy”). By surface analysis, extim(ate) + -acy.

How to pronounce extimacy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “extimacy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛkstɪməsi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “extimacy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “extimacy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.