The name "pansy" derives from the French word "pensee" which means "thought". Ever big on subtlety, the Victorians devised an entire symbolic language of flowers. For example, a Victorian gentleman could express that he was thinking of his love by presenting her with a pansy. And she would understand what that meant! (Giving a pansy to a gentleman was considered bad luck). In fact, the pansy was considered to have magical love-inducing powers. The Celts and Ancient Greeks used the juice of a pansy as a love potion, and this floral elixir of amor even makes an appearance in A Midsummer Night's Dream. This c.1840 pansy is rendered using amethysts, emeralds and citrines.